Stop the Whining.
Stop the whine. Whining is defined as "complaining in an annoying way." We all know it when we hear it. So let's be in agreement about this: A meeting with professionals, colleagues and/or clients is not the time to whine. It is unprofessional, and it is dishonoring. It will not gain you respect and will rarely garner you real sympathy or compassion. Save it for your friends and families off the clock (and they may not appreciate it either...) Here are some truths to consider:
✔ You are in charge of your schedule, your workload and your bandwidth. You have no one to blame but yourself if you have not set good boundaries, managed your time well or overloaded your plate. If you tend to whine about your 'busy', reevaluate, reconsider and reprioritize to bring your life back to a manageable standard.
✔ Everyone has complaints about a boss or a board or a client or a customer. Professional meetings are not the place to vent those frustrations.
✔ Everyone is busy. In a work environment, it is a rare person who doesn't have to make hard choices about what is urgent and important. If they are meeting with you, you made the cut so don't waste their time whining.
✔ If you are on the receiving end, resist the urge to patronize those who are whining and instead be constructive in your response. It isn't helpful to give into the bad habit of childish complaining. Try instead to:
- Offer to reschedule. If this is a bad day, offer to connect on a better day.
- Stick to the agenda. It can be uncomfortable to redirect the conversation from whining and complaining back to the task at hand. But, the agenda content is the reason for the meeting, and it is what you committed your time to.
- End early. If redirecting isn't working and the offer to reschedule is ignored, end the meeting. There is no written rule that says you have to stick it out. Stay in control of your own schedule and bandwidth and don't be afraid to cut it short to save your own sanity.
Stop the whining, friends, and stop putting up with it in business settings. When we know better, we do better, so now you know.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
#leadership #nowhiningallowed #nonprofits #smallbusiness #culture
