Start your day and it can start off with complaints. The milk hasn't arrived, the maid hasn't come, the paper hasn't come, there is no power, the cooking gas has finished, am already late, will miss my bus, my lunch box isn't packed, the bus is usually late, the traffic is too much… Oh so many complaint you hear day in and day out ..

Get to work and you realize it isn't any better.

No experienced manager or any efficient workman is surprised to discover that a handful of high producers carries a
disproportionately high portion of the workload. Managers frequently ask, "How can I get low producers to carry their fair share?" These managers usually aren't aware that there's an even more critical issue at hand. Low producers in an office environment don't simply lack productivity, they often reduce the productivity of others. One of the most annoying people whether at home or in the office is the complainer.

Let us look at the workplace as we spend most of our time at work.

Almost without exception, the complainer is a low producer. The complainer chooses to spend time and energy criticizing the job, the economy, the weather, coworkers, the management or any scenario in which the complainer is cast as a victim. Misery loves company. Any organization is a feeding ground for a complainer, providing both the subjects of complaint and a ripe harvest of shoulders to cry on.

Complainers feed on pettiness and, left unchecked, will drain the energy out of an organization. Complainers are needy people and demand constant attention. High producers work to grow and expand their horizons, thriving on the challenges the company provides. Low producers work to fill emotional holes in their lives. What they lack in themselves they seek to borrow from others. High producers fill their tanks with their own achievements. Low producers fill their tanks complaining about the achievements of others.

The evidence is in behavior. When what brand of office supplies to buy or how to decorate the place become higher priority than productivity and growth, it's time to start counting who's contributing to the bottom line and who's riding on it. Who calls unofficial lunch meetings to discuss the down side of company policies? Who travels the office corridors to spread the news of personal lives? Who feels threatened by every decision handed down from above?

Dealing with difficult people is never pleasant. Many managers, without solutions, tend to close their doors and ignore the plague of pettiness outside. The effective leader gets involved with his or her people, if only to protect his or her high producers from distraction and lost productivity. One difference between a true leader versus a mere manager is the willingness to get involved with people in the organization.

When the staff understands that their leader is serious about promoting personal productivity and purging the office of pettiness, high producers will feel more confident and comfortable doing what they do best.

When the true leader observes a constant complainer occupying someone else's time, the leader invites the complainer into his or her office to share what's so important. It might take a few visits to the leader's office before the complainer gets the message that any issue worth occupying the time of peers must also be worthy of the leader's time. That's the rule.

Any more complaints please ?  ; )