How to be a more positive colleague

How to be a more positive colleague

I wrote this piece specifically for LinkedIn but I’m sure (or at least, I’m hoping) there are some here who’ll also find it interesting and useful …

I was going to write this post about “how to be a more positive manager”.

But then I remembered that you don’t need to be a manager, or leader, or have any sort of title to have a positive impact on your team or organisation.

So, this is for anyone and everyone who’s keen to do what they can, in their own way, to have a positive influence on those around them and thereby, on the culture of their organisation.

To begin with, choose the attitude you bring into work each day. You don’t have to be a “Pollyanna”, an unrealistically optimistic thinker always wearing rose coloured glasses. But it does help everyone, including you, to focus as much as you can on what’s going well, and even if or when there are problems, on what you can do to solve them.

More so, share your positive attitude, in an appropriate way. When you see good things happening, talk about those good things happening. When you see others doing good work, praise and congratulate and thank them. Positive communication is a core component of a happy workplace.

In simple terms, be kind and caring and thoughtful and helpful. We all have our jobs to do, but if and when we can help another then we’re also helping build stronger connections which is crucial to stronger and more positive culture.

Don’t be afraid to have fun and to joke around at work. Sure, we all have serious responsibilities and obligations but there’s no doubt (as I’ve written about before) that joy and playfulness, suitable to the context, is energising and motivating.