Currently browsing Debbie Downer

I recently received a tweet from a Twitter friend named Kelly Dingee that put a smile on my face.  Kelly writes for an awesome talent management blog – Fistful of Talent and tweets with the handle @SourcerKelly.  Like most of the individuals I follow on Twitter related to HR, we’ve had conversations back and forth about hot topics, random facts and basic fun.  Her comment really made a difference in my day.

Debbie Downer

You see, I am a pessimist and always have been.  In fact I am from a family full of them, blah blah blah.  Think Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live.  Well, as I have said before, I truly believe I control my attitude, especially in the workplace.  Yes, other variables may have an impact but I am the one who ultimately decides how to react.  With that in mind I have been focusing on improving my pessimistic outlook on a daily basis.

With the start of a new career I decided it was time to make some big changes.  I went from a 60+ hour a week job in the private sector to a 40 hour a week job in the public sector.  Basically, my life no longer revolves around work.  Amen.  This means I have much more time for family, friends, volunteering and playing with social media – yay!

The biggest change I made was to make a concerted effort to start each day positively, which is difficult when I wake up each week day with my alarm blaring at 5:50 am.  That’s right, it’s disgusting.  What makes it worse is that I am NOT a morning person and that I usually cannot sleep more than four hours per night.  Regardless, I grab the laptop and open up Twirl to see who else is up.  Usually I find what I like to refer to as the “morning crew” – @SteveBoese, @TrishMcFarlane, @LisaRosendahl, @Victorio_M and @MikeVanDervort.  My goal is to have a positive impact on those I connect with on a daily basis.  Whether offering words of encouragement in the office or kudos via tweet, I am doing my part to make someone else’s day just a little bit better.

If I can leave my house for work with a smile on my face then I have done my job.  All I can do then is continue spreading the positive vibes throughout the day.  I think it’s beginning to wear off on some people. 

Stay positive in your workplace.  We all have challenging days.  Work through them the best you can as your attitude will have an impact on those that work with you.

“GOOD MORNING HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS!”

In my five years working in the human resources field I have met a variety of personalities.  Some have made me excited to be an HR professional while others made me want to play hooky like Ferris Bueler.  A few even prompted thoughts of violently shaking the poor attitude out of them.  Seriously people, check your poor attitude at the door!

One thing I have tried to improve upon in my career is the ability to manage my attitude and reaction to others in the workplace in order to accomplish communication.  You can never fully prepare yourself to handle everything that may be thrown at you in human resources; all you can do is control yourself.

Volunteers (That's me on the left!)

This past spring I was a volunteer coordinator for ABC’s Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition for a build here in Tallahassee, FL.  The experience was one I will never forget; thousands of volunteers working around the clock to build a house for a family in need – in seven days!  Since I was “in transition” during that time, I took the night shift from 12 am to 8am, went home, slept, got up and headed back to the site every day.  One thing that stood out from this experience was the overall attitude of our volunteers.  Each day they showed up to donate their time and had to deal with extremes – cold weather, hot weather, sleep deprivation, dust, aches, pains, grumpiness and everything else one may come across on a construction site.  Most of the volunteers have full time jobs and other regular commitments but they continued to be invested in a project they were passionate about.  Regardless of these obstacles the morale of the volunteers remained positive.  These volunteers cared about the family and were invested in their work.  Shouldn’t this be how your employees feel about your workplace?

Establish relationships with colleagues in the office that you work with on a regular basis.  You do not have to be best friends with everyone but take the time to learn and figure out what makes your colleagues tick.  What do they complain about?  What makes them laugh?  What standards do they hold themselves to?  You will begin to learn how to best present things to these individuals.  Some you may be able to be blunt with and let them take initiative to complete a project.  Others you will have to hold their hand through execution.  In the end you should be able to develop a unique delivery mechanism for any interaction with these individuals.

By establishing these relationships and learning how to handle your attitude towards your colleagues, you will take a huge step towards a happier workforce who is typically more productive.  Regardless of why you work, the attitude you portray in the workplace is up to you.  Whether positive or negative the work will still be there.  Help create an environment employees care about and are invested in.  Don’t let the Debbie Downers ruin it for everyone else!

Now come on, get to work!  Say it with me HR professionals! “Move that bus!”