This past week, I was in charge of the house. Kia was in Las Vegas for a fashion buying trip (for spa Connects). Beale and I went to the local grocery store Monday afternoon.
Going to the grocery store is a regular part of my life.When it comes time to check out, I have certain cashiers I try to avoid. One in particular I try to miss because she is…so…SLOW….(read that really, really slowly to get the full effect). Monday, I had no choice, she was the one.
What kind of person are you?
Some people relate to others with a negative bent. Other people relate positively. I tend to relate with others in a positive tone. I may not feel upbeat, but I am more encouraging than discouraging.
As our groceries were checked it hit me. There was a bigger reason for me avoiding said check-out lady. She isn’t just slow, she has a negative bent. She’s not mean, but she has an Eeyore personality. This day she was paired with a lady with the same outlook on life – only a little more gruff.
Here’s a sample bit of conversation:
Bagging Lady: “I’m glad I’m not taking home all these groceries.”
Me: “Oh yeah…”
BL: “Yeah, I would hate to have to put them all away.”
Me (completely dumbfounded and searching for something to say): “They probably won’t make it very far, I have 4 kids at home.”
BL (who looks a little older, so I’m assuming her kids are out of the house): “You don’t have to tell me about it. I have 3 kids.”
Me (completely shut down): silence
That was just a sample of the conversation. The lady was polite; she simply had a negative bent to her attitude.
What this means…
…for your life…
You can choose to view life in a positive or negative light. I believe a positive or negative attitude is based on both inborn personality and outside influence. While your natural bent may be to be negative, you can choose to be positive in almost any situation.
One way to choose to be positive is to surround yourself with a good balance of people. The pairing of the 2 check-out ladies probably wasn’t good for either of them.
Sarah Kathleen Peck wrote a wonderful post for Accidental Creative on pairing yourself with people who will increase your energy. Pair yourself with people who give energy, not take it away.
…for your business…
Our small town has one grocery store. It’s a nice store, and I enjoy the staff. There is no real reason for me to drive another 15-20 minutes because of this one negative occasion.
What if it weren’t the only grocery store?
Our small town has at least 8 photographers listed in the phone book. If I needed a photographer and had an encounter like this, I would check out the other 7+ photographers.
It may not be you, but it could be one of your staff. Negative people on your team, can crush your business. They can drive away clients.
They can also drive away other (good) staff members. In his book, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork
, John Maxwell says the weak link in your team is known by the entire staff. If you don’t deal with that weak link, YOU will become the weak link (in your team’s eyes). Don’t allow a negative person to be your team’s weak link and destroy your business.
…for your photography.
Take a moment to do a search on photographers you personally know. Take a look at their images. You’ll find in general their work will portray their personality.
Your attitude could be holding your work back.
images courtesy of stock.xchng
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