One of the most important decision a leader and team can make is to decide that they will not allow negativity to sabotage their team.
Over the last 20+ years I’ve found is that great teams and great leaders don’t run from negativity. They confront it, address it, transform it or remove it. Negativity exists and you can’t ignore it. One of the biggest mistakes teams make is that they ignore the negativity within their team. They allow it to breed and grow, and it eventually sabotages the team.
Here are 3 of the best ways to beat negativity:
1) No Energy Vampires Allowed
Years ago, Mark Richt, the head football coach of the University of Georgia had his team read my book The Energy Bus and invited me to speak to them. I spoke before the season and, unfortunately, they lost their first two games. Georgia had been underperforming during the previous few seasons and the media was reporting that Richt was on the hot seat and would lose his job if this season didn’t go well.
I texted him after the second loss and said, “I am sorry I didn’t help more. I believe in this team. I believe you all are going to turn it around.” Richt texted me back and said, “Jon, the guys are still on the bus. In years past we’ve allowed energy vampires to ruin this team but not this year. This year we won’t allow it.”
In the team meeting room, Richt had an artist draw a large picture of an energy vampire on the wall facing the seats where the players sit. If a player or coach acted like an energy vampire, the team took his picture from the media guide and put it on the wall. No one wanted to be on the wall. It was a message from Richt to his team that they would stay positive through their adversity and challenges.
It worked, and the team went on to win the next 10 games in a row and made it to the SEC Championship.
2) Implement the No Complaining Rule
One of the best ways to create a positive team environment and transform a toxic team culture is to implement The No Complaining Rule.
The rule is simple: You are not allowed to complain unless you also offer one or two possible solutions. This eliminates a lot of mindless and toxic complaining, and empowers you and your team to create solutions instead of focusing on problems. Complaining causes you and your team to focus on everything except being your best. Complaining is like throwing up. Afterward you feel better but then the rest of your team gets sick. It’s toxic.
I’ve had many businesses, schools, and hospitals implement The No Complaining Rule and have witnessed how this simple rule can had a huge impact on engagement, culture, teamwork and performance.
When you and your team focus on solutions instead of complaints, your performance rises to a higher level.
3) Positive Conflict
Let’s be clear. Weeding the negative doesn’t mean you eliminate disagreements. Positive teams are going to disagree. Great teams fight. If you fight, it doesn’t mean you are a negative team. Conflict is necessary to have a strong team. “Difficult Conversations Don’t Have to Be Difficult.” It’s not just a line we say but a process we have outlined in the bestselling book I wrote with Amy P. Kelly.
While I’ve found that teams that have more positive interactions than negative interactions perform at a higher level this doesn’t mean there should never be conflict. In fact, there needs to be some conflict. But why?
Well, all positivity and no conflict means that no one is asking the difficult questions. No one is discussing the important issues. No one is challenging the status quo. No one is challenging teammates to get better and no one is constructively criticizing others to improve. Having difficult conversations is key to being a great team. This requires you build trust and relationships.
Let’s face it. Negativity is part of life. The best leaders and teams feed the positive and weed the negative. Knowing how to overcome negativity is what makes great teams great. I hope you’ll share the above strategies with your team and take action together. If you are willing to learn together, grow together, unite together, and act together, you will accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
- Jon
P.S., When you attend Day of Development alone or with your team you will learn specific strategies and create a plan to Transform Negativity and Complaining into Positive Results!
