I heard a story the other day from a friend of mine: Three women walk into a public rest room to find the water in the sink running. They complain loudly and continuously about the horrible person who left the faucet on. They criticize and gripe about the awful person who left this faucet running. Then a fourth woman enters the rest room, looks at the running faucet and turns it off.
There are complainers in this world, and there are doers.
Some people are happiest when they can belittle, gripe, and complain. They seem to revel in the misery and fault finding of others. They feel they could run every business and everyone?s life better than they are being run. Just ask them. Their own lives are usually a mess, although this fact often escapes them.
Then there are people who get things done. They don't call attention to themselves, or the problems at hand. The simply act and accomplish. Most of us admire the doers. We know they are crucial to our workplace, and our social and family structures. Although sometimes we can resent these good works people ("doers"), mostly we value and respect them. The respect can only offer admiration; therefore we stop short of copying their actions and behavior.
"There are complainers in this world, and there are doers."
Last month my brother was in a department store where he observed several long lines at the checkouts. In the midst of it all, he saw a man in a suit come out from the back and proceed to make the situation worse. He started making irrelevant orders to the staff, even as an employee tried to steer him toward a useful working roll.
He instead wanted to continue to play the roll as boss. It looked obvious to the customers that the employee resented this boss, and the staff seemed to know their jobs better than the boss knew his.
The man in the suit probably could have accomplished more if he would have contributed in the working roll and do something to help with the backlog of customers instead of playing the management role. When managers and leaders separate themselves from the work rather than make contributions to it, they are failing as leaders.
Leaders and employees need to recognize that doing the work is a key part of creating a supportive and happy work environment. Whining, complaining, and giving unhelpful suggestions destroy the fabric of the working environment.
Next week make a personal scoreboard for yourself. Make two columns, one for helpful actions and deeds, and the other for your complaints. Keep score to see if a change in attitude is needed in your future.
Look at the faucet. Are you a complainer or a doer? Turning off the faucet without looking for glory can lead to a productive and positive workplace, and a healthier and happier you.