Could you stop complaining?
Since you’re spending this week learning how to make powerful requests, why not set an intention that you will, right here and right now, stop complaining… forever?
Okay, I know. Forever can seem a bit scary. Then how about just trying it out for the rest of this program? Give it a think. Are you even just the slightest bit excited about the possibility of not complaining?
Not feeling it?
Oh! As a recap, complaining instead of making requests could be putting you at risk for the following difficulties:
- Being less effective at driving your outcomes and delivering success in the world
- Having interpersonal conflict with colleagues because you’ve not given them clear criteria to satisfy you, so they don’t
- Projects going off the rails due to execution flaws (ownership or accountability unclear; deadlines unclear; project scope unclear; etc.)
- Damage to your professional credibility, reputation, and ability to lead
- Frustration due to living with unmet expectations
More tips on how to stop complaining in your weekly Learning Lab Topic.
Still on the fence?
If you are still on the fence about quitting the complaining habit, take all the time you need. While you do, get really good at noticing how you feel when you are complaining or around others who are complaining. Some questions to ask yourself to drive clarity around how this behavior affects you are:
- Are you feeling more negative than you were begin with?
- Have you solved anything?
- Do you feel meaningfully better or energized?
- Do you feel “executive”? (see Week 4: Executive Presence — Bringing it).
