Whistle while you work
I was shocked to see that it takes 11 people to undo the damage of one negative person. Wow, I feel tired already.
Determining if a person truly is mission-driven is a critical part of a successful school. If faculty and staff don't believe that the students can succeed--how are the students expected to believe it?
Karen,
It takes a lot to overcome negativity. We need to find people that belong on our "bus" and make sure they are in the correct "seat." The tough part is getting those who do not belong to change seats, change attitudes or change busses.
I know a negative person can really affect what a teacher is doing. Negative students can bring the others in the class down quickly. It is our jobs to surround the negative person with not only positive people but positive attitudes. Our job is not only to teach but to try and change these negative people into positive ones. That is sometimes impossible but most of the time if you find the right trigger you and/or others in the class can turn around even the most negative of people. It takes work no doubt about it!
I perviously heard the following similar statistic on negativity. If someone is done wrong they will tell 10 people, If they are done right they will tell only one. I think the power in negativity is backed up by the media. The majority of any newscast is about the negative. People seem to be entertained by the drama in negativity. As it says in the module, negativity is easy. You have to work to be positive. I try everyday to remain psositive and to help our student realize they are in control of their actions and if they think positivly good things will happen.
The Pacific Institute teaches that the best way to address negativity is to surround it with positives. Negative folks will be uncomfortable in a positive environment and will either leave or change. Both outcomes are better than having the negative folks impacting the organization.
