During the past week, I had a body transplant. Traveling in Europe, I got the flu and went from feeling strong and positive to weak and negative. A black cloud descended on me, and everywhere I looked, the world looked dark and ominous.
After recovering, I thought: this must be how some people feel all the time. That could explain why they are negative, reluctant to take action and almost never proactive.
My purpose here is to visit customers, but I had to cancel my planned visits; there was no way I could have mustered the energy to be upbeat and uplifting.
The whole experience reinforced my belief that a team can’t tolerate persistently negative members. Even a couple can destroy the team’s character and results. Just as the flu is contagious, negativity is as well.
If, by chance, you are in a place that causes you to be consistently negative, I’d suggest you do what I did this week: stop everything, and focus 100% of your energy on healing. The path forward is always better when you can be proactively positive.
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