We are often faced with difficult personalities. Negative behaviour in teams is destructive and needs to be handled directly and calmly.
That’s my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck’s back. If it’s not positive, I didn’t hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy. – George Foreman
Handling Negative Behaviour
Handling negative behaviour in your team can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. What’s more, negative behaviour will gradually undermine team performance.
Being proactive does help the pessimist change their behaviour and allow the team to achieve greater productivity.
Here are 5 tips for handling negative behaviour.
Ignore
When people make brief negative comments in conversation, simply overlook them and continue to talk about the original subject.
Hopefully, your lack of acknowledgement will discourage them!
Disagree
Directly and calmly disagree with negative comments by stating positive opinions.
This will stop their negative argument growing momentum.
Speak Up
Never remain silent or agree with negative opinions, since this will act to encourage their point of view. Remember, negative behaviour is not the same as sharing a different point of view.
Be Positive
Avoid arguments. Instead, restate the same goal or point positively, using the broken record metaphor if necessary.
Seek a Solution
Throw back their negativity by asking for and expecting a practical solution to the problem.
Turning their negative energy may result in new ideas.
Negativity can only feed on negativity. – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Negative people suck the life out of us.
Their negative energy spills over, leaving everyone with a bad taste. Worst still, they can draw you into their view of the world. As a supervisor or team leader, you have responsibility for handling negative behaviour in the workplace.
Are you aware of the impact you have on others? What’s your best tip for handling negative behaviour? You are welcome to share your experience in the comments.
