I've recently taken the time to reread "The One Minute Manager." For those who haven't read it I highly recommend it.
It's a light parable written by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson in 1981. It was first introduced to me when I was a Manager-In-Training at Lady Footlocker. Lady Footlocker was a branch of Kinney Canada and I can tell you without a doubt that they believed in training and development of their people. As a team member within this organization I lived, breathed, and slept Lady Footlocker. To this day I can still recite the acronym of the selling skills program as well as each department number of the clothing and accessories in the store's assortment.
However, I digress. The One Minute Manager is a method of managing and leading team members all within the time frame of "one minute."
A section that resonated with me throughout the reading was, "If you can't tell me what you'd like to be happening, you don't have a problem yet. You're just complaining. A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to be happening."
Well, I know I complain. I complain a lot. It's easy. I complain about the weather, traffic, dirty dishes, it goes on and on.
But it's not productive and it's toxic. I'm a firm believer in "negativity breeds negativity" and yet here I am creating negativity.
Here are some suggestions that I've found that I'm going to try throughout the next week. Probably not each one each day but by inviting one or two into my day to day activities I know I will create a more positive environment for me and those around me.
Scan for the 3 daily positives. At the end of each day, make a list of three specific good things that happened that day and reflect on what caused them to happen. The good things could be anything — bumping into an old friend, a positive remark from someone at work, a pretty sunset.
Give one shout-out to someone (daily). Take a minute to say thanks or recognize someone for their efforts, from friends and family to people at work. A great way to go about this is by sending one daily email to someone. A co-worker or someone you’ve only met. Show courage and say thanks, I love doing this and just checking in with a nice note.
Do something nice. Acts of kindness boost happiness levels. Something as small and simple as making someone smile works. Pausing to do something thoughtful has the power to get you out of that negativity loop. Do something nice that is small and concrete like buying someone a coffee. You can try and have that even on your to do list – have you done anything nice for someone today?
Mind your mind. Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Opening our awareness beyond the narrowness of negativity can help bring back more balance and positivity into the picture.
What do you think? Worth a try to make the world we live in and those around us a little happier?
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