Whining: Are You Sapping Your Team’s Energy?

Any manager is a human being. Duh! – I hear you say. Bear with me, for it is something that can be helpful to always keep in mind. What I mean is that no matter how talented a manager you are, your personal tendencies have a bearing on your behavior in the workplace. Some of those features may be helpful, some not so much – that’s why it’s a good idea to be aware of them so you can control the impact. In the latest issue of my Psychology Today blog I address – from the employee’s point of view – one feature that people often describe as particularly taxing in their superiors: a tendency to complain too much. To them, the employees.

Understandably, we all get frustrated over one thing or another. Airing one’s frustration to the others does offer an easy outlet – there’s no arguing that. No matter what the pesky issue is – talking about it to the next person always helps. And when a bunch of “next persons” (translation: your team) is always within an arm’s reach, most of the day, it’s easy to loose track of how that soothing “exchange” (translation: venting) affects the workflow.

Read the complete article at PsychologyToday.com where I analyze the true reasons behind some complaining tendencies and offer employees tips on how to handle a whiny boss. It will help you make sure you yourself never need any such “handling”.