On Being Positive in a
Negative Environment
Some Practical Strategies for Resisting the Natural
Inclination to Join Your Colleagues in Feeling Miserable1,2
A Presentation for Leadership Portsmouth
Kendall L. Stewart, MD, MBA, DFAPA
February 8, 2012
1You
may have heard that SOMC was recently listed for the fourth consecutive year as one of best places to work in the USA.
are some of the exceptional physicians who helped make this happen.
2Here
What’s in this for you?
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Unfortunately, difficult work
environments are pretty common.
Even in the best environments,
negative forces are constantly seeking
to undermine and destroy.
The people working in those
environments are at risk for turning
negative and becoming miserable.
But life is too short to be miserable.
There are effective ways to be positive
in the most negative environments—if
you put your mind to it.
This practical presentation will detail
some of those proven strategies.
The rest is up to you.
Organizational excellence and the
maintenance of a positive culture do
not occur without the sustained
investment of emotional energy.
1Difficult
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people are everywhere.
difficult farmer was unhappy with his wife.
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After mastering the information in this
presentation, you will be able to
– Describe three characteristics of
negative organizational
environments,
– Detail three strategies for
remaining positive in a negative
environment,
– Explain why you should adopt
those strategies, and
– Specify how you can successfully
execute them.
Work environments take on the
personalities of the people who create
them.
As a leader, you can make a
difference.1,2
What are some characteristics of
negative work environments?
• There are real problems that
need to be fixed.
• The whiners set the tone.
• Cynicism rules.
• Do-gooders are ridiculed.
• Thin skin is epidemic.
• Resentment abounds.
• Criticism is the favorite
pastime.
• People are hesitant to take
risks.
• Secrecy is common;
transparency is rare.
• Conflict is avoided.
• People are convinced that
nothing will ever change.
1Let
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• People talk about each other
instead of to each other.
• Expectations are not clear.
• Emotional arousal is viewed as
normal and inevitable.1,2
• People don’t cut each other
much slack.
• People don’t have much fun at
work.
• Bad actors are not confronted,
and unpleasant consequences
are not attached to
misbehavior.
• The worst possible motives are
assumed.
me tell you about medical school and residency.
thought my career was about to end in my third year of medical school.
What strategies will allow you to
create a positive workplace?
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Focus on being positive.
Focus on networking with other
positive people.
Focus on changing yourself, not
others.1,2
Focus on facing up to the
problems.
Focus on customer service.
Focus on quality.
Focus on hiring positive people.
Focus on confronting and
extruding “net-negative” people.
Focus on overcoming your own
prejudices.
Focus on fielding the best possible
leadership team.
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Focus on annual strategic
celebration and planning.
Focus on brainstorming.
Focus on setting priorities.
Focus on measuring things that
matter.
Focus on staying busy.
Focus on the long haul.
Focus on accepting others’
negative feelings without sharing
them.
Focus on clarifying and enforcing
“Rules of Engagement.”
Focus on quarantining negative
contagion.
Focus on documenting incremental
success.
remember making up my mind to be positive when assisting in thoracic surgery.
wasn’t the only one who didn’t know my anatomy.
Extrude the net-negative people.
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Why should you?
– Everyone has positives and
negatives.
– Sometimes, a person’s negatives
outweigh his or her positives—in
the current environment.
– Retaining such people limits the
progress of the entire group.
– This is particularly true if the netnegative person is a leader.
– Retaining these people persuades
others that negative behavior is
acceptable.
– Borderline folk conclude that it is
okay to behave that way too.
– This situation discourages the
positive people.
– But, admittedly, confrontation is
hard.
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How can you?
– Begin by observing and
documenting positive and negative
interpersonal behavior in the
workplace.
– Focus on patterns, not isolated
incidents.
– For each negative pattern you
document, write down the positive
“antidote” behavior.
– Share your work with colleagues
who will embrace it and
contribute further.
– Push for group acceptance.
– Confront individuals who violate
this code of conduct.
– Use a facilitated 360-degree
evaluation to confront the
troublemakers.1
began reflecting deeply on this notion of net-positive and net-negative people in college.
What have you learned?
• Difficult, challenging work environments are
common.
• Those of us working in those environments are
at risk for turning negative and becoming
miserable.
• But life is too short to be miserable.
• There are some proven strategies for remaining
positive in the most negative environments.
• These strategies must be customized, but they
will work.
• Try them out.
• You can make a difference in your life—and the
lives of those around you.1
1I
heard the voice of God in Kmart.
Where can you learn more?
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Join the discussion about practical approaches to more effective
leadership on the SOMC Leadership Blog.
Learn more about Southern Ohio Medical Center here.
Review and download this presentation and related
presentations and white papers here.
Read Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take
Your Company to the Top to review some leadership strategies
that successful health care executives have embraced.
Learn more about how to confront others effectively by reading A
Portable Mentor for Organizational Leaders.
Review practical techniques for conducting crucial conversations
in Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
Consider adding the practical and comprehensive Successful
Manager’s Handbook to your personal library.
How can you contact me?1
Kendall L. Stewart, M.D.
VPMA and Chief Medical Officer
Southern Ohio Medical Center
Chairman & CEO
The SOMC Medical Care Foundation, Inc.
1805 27th Street
Waller Building
Suite B01
Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
740.356.8153
StewartK@somc.org
KendallLStewartMD@yahoo.com
www.somc.org
www.KendallLStewartMD.com
1Speaking
and consultation fees benefit the SOMC Endowment Fund.
Are there other questions?
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