Turning a Negative into a Positive
March 16th, 2009 Posted in Leadership, Newsletter
If you read The No Complaining Rule you know it’s a fable about a woman named Hope who has a lot to complain about in her life. Her company is struggling, she’s having problems at home and she has to go to the hospital to get some tests done. It is at the hospital where she meets a nurse who teaches her The No Complaining Rule. Hope learns that every complaint represents an opportunity to turn something negative into a positive. She learns to use complaints as a catalyst to identify problems and create innovative solutions. And she discovers a powerful way to better lead her company, her family and her own life.
I read an article this week about a real life version of The No Complaining Rule in action.
Turns out Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was getting close to laying off a lot of employees. Projected revenue was far below projected costs. The CEO Paul Levy confronted the problem at an “all employee” meeting saying he didn’t want to have to layoff anyone. He asked the hospital employees for help. He asked them for ideas and solutions.
According to the article in The Boston Globe, “The consensus was that the workers don’t want anyone to get laid off and are willing to give up pay and benefits to make sure no one does. A nurse said her floor voted unanimously to forgo a 3 percent raise. A guy in finance who got laid off from his last job at a hospital in Rhode Island suggested working one less day a week. Another nurse said she was willing to give up some vacation and sick time. A respiratory therapist suggested eliminating bonuses.” The CEO said he was getting about a hundred messages per hour with ideas. You can read the article here.
This situation is a great example of what we accomplish when positive leaders bring their employees and teams together and empower them to focus on solutions instead of problems. By implementing The No Complaining Rule we can turn complaints and problems into positive action and solutions. We can transform our biggest challenges into our greatest successes. We can transform a negative culture into a positive culture. We can turn what seems “negative” into a “positive.”
I encourage you to read The No Complaining Rule with your teams and families, have a meeting, identify your complaints and problems and then let this move you to create solutions. There is a an action plan in the back of the book that will guide you through the process.
Stay Positive!
Jon
How do you and your team turn a negative into a positive? Share your comments here.
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Tags: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, economy, jon gordon, negative, negative into a positive, no complaining, positive, solutions
4 Responses to “Turning a Negative into a Positive”
By Joe De Blas on Mar 16, 2009
Hi Jon everyday I show to work or I’am sitting down with a family member talking and communicating is the key. Going over a situation is a daily habit that we do to get it done and move on. positive attitude is the only way your mind will start giving you ideas or answers to tackle your question or concern.
take care,
Joe De Blas
By Sarah on Mar 18, 2009
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the great post. One of the most difficult challenges facing leaders and organizations these days is dealing with layoff survivor guilt - a colleague of mine wrote an article about the issue, with some coping advice, that is relevant to readers of your blog and books: ambitious, positive thinkers. Here’s a link: http://is.gd/nSrT