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June 26, 2012

Stop Complaining and Start Acting

I travel often in my career and right now I am sitting in the Chicago O’Hare airport and am listening to two people grump about their jobs. Actually, I am a little amazed that they are being so loud about their feelings. My guess is they feel safe that no one knows them so they... Read more »

Sandra Wiley

I travel often in my career and right now I am sitting in the Chicago O’Hare airport and am listening to two people grump about their jobs. Actually, I am a little amazed that they are being so loud about their feelings. My guess is they feel safe that no one knows them so they can “spill” their feelings without fear of repercussion. So far, they have discussed how their supervisor is not listening to them, not training them appropriately and not telling them what she really wants them to accomplish. In their opinion, it is a lack of setting priorities, no good training program and no clear expectations. A few things occurred to me:

 

  • Stop complaining and start acting – if you are not getting what you want in your career, the person that is most responsible for that is YOU.
  • Discuss solutions and get out of DRAMA – the act of lamenting problems is a waste of time, the act of finding solutions is a positive upward force.
  • You just turned me off to wanting to listen to you and I’m a stranger sitting beside you in the airport – how do you think your supervisor feels when you bring this attitude with you to work? Much like the adults in the in Charlie Brown specials on TV, I am starting to hear “Wha Wha Wha Wha”.

 

The employee just jumped on the phone with her supervisor . How do I know this? Because she said “Oh crap, it is our boss” before she answered with a perky “Hi there”. I swear I was listening to “Cybill, the character with multiple personalities”.   The conversation was short but this new character was a sweet smiling kind soul who said at the end of the conversation “Can’t wait to see you next week – we are so excited about this project”.  Honestly, I want to reach over and say “Hey Cybil, what did you do with the other personality that was here 30 seconds ago?”

 

The lesson for today – watch what you are saying in a public place – you might end up as a subject in a blog. The lesson for another blog – honesty in the workplace!  

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Sandra Wiley

COO, Boomer Consulting

Sandra Wiley, President of Boomer Consulting, Inc., is a leader in the accounting profession with a passion for helping firms grow, adapt and thrive. She is regularly recognized by Accounting Today as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting as a result of her expertise in leadership, management, collaboration, culture building, talent and training. Sandra’s years of experience and influence as a management and strategic planning consultant make her a sought-after resource among the best and brightest firms in the country. She is regularly invited to speak at national conferences where she empowers audiences with new ideas and a sense of humor. She is a popular author, having been published in many online and print publications, and penned two books, The Journey Ahead: A New Roadmap to Collaboration in Your Firm and The Engaged Employee: 10 Initiatives for Successful Firms.

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