Step 1: Explain the Cost of Negativity and Complaining
Gather your team or organization in person or on the phone and explain the cost of personal and organizational negativity. Use the research and statistics (found on pages 28 and 29) and clearly identify the problem and the effect it has on productivity, performance, and success.
Step 2: Share and Explain the No Complaining Rule
People are not allowed to mindlessly complain to their coworkers and/or team members. If they have a problem or complaint about their job, their organization, their customers, or anything else, they are encouraged to bring the issue to their manager or someone who is in a position to address the complaint. However, the employee or team member must also have thought of one or two possible solutions to the complaint and share that as well.
Exercise
Discuss the rationale behind the No Complaining Rule.
Ask people to identify and explain the benefits this rule would likely generate.
Step 3: Justified Complaining versus Mindless Complaining
Discuss the difference between mindless complaining and justified complaining (explained on page 49, the third No Complaining Tool). Explain that mindless complaining focuses on problems whereas justified complaining focuses on solutions.
Exercise
Discuss the benefits to an organization or team that is solution focused instead of problem focused.
Have each person draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the left side have them write down examples of justified complaints and on the right side have them write down mindless complaints.
Discuss the differences between the two types of complaints.
Step 4: Identify and Share Your Complaint/Solution Process
It is essential that each person in your organization understands how your organization and team will consider and address complaints and turn problems into solutions. There are many possible options, and you simply must decide what works best for your type of organization. Following are some ideas to consider. You may use one or a combination of all of these ideas, depending on the size of your organization, the culture, the type of organization, and other factors.
Direct Report. Many organizations will have their people bring their complaints and solutions to their manager or boss, and they work together to solve the problem.
Complaint Czar. Smaller organizations or divisions may elect to have one person handle complaints and solutions and work with managers and/or team members to implement their ideas.
Executive Team. Complaints that center around organizational issues will be brought to the executive team where problems will be considered and solutions will be implemented quarterly.
Complaint Terminator. Organizations may use technology and an intranet site where employees can post their complaints and solutions.
The Good Ole Shoe Box. Smaller organizations or divisions may elect to have their people write their complaints and solutions on a piece of paper and collect them in a "solution box" "idea box," or "innovation box."
Step 5: Listen, Hear, and Act
For the No Complaining process to work effectively, your people need to know that their complaints and solutions will be heard and considered. Their solutions don't necessarily have to be acted upon, but they will want to know that their ideas were considered. It is essential then that your organization address complaints, consider solutions, and act accordingly. As discussed on pages 75–81, the Positive Principles are necessary for the No Complaining Rule to work.
Step 6: Celebrate Successes
To reinforce the No Complaining Rule and generate a solution-focused culture in your organization, you'll want to celebrate and spotlight the successes of people who turned their complaints into solutions and innovations that benefited the organization. Recognize them and share their success stories with the entire organization. Shine a light on people and the process, and this will encourage more success stories. Don't wait for an annual meeting to do this. Do this continuously throughout the year via e-mail, web site postings, conference calls, and meetings.
Step 7: Monitor and Enforce the No Complaining Rule
Encourage leaders, managers, and everyone in your organization to enforce the No Complaining Rule. Make creating a positive culture everyone's priority. Encourage everyone to weed out negativity when they see it and hear it. Make mindless complaining a cultural taboo in your organization. Ingrain positive energy into the culture and habits of your people.
Step 8: Distribute No Complaining Tools
Ingrain the No Complaining Rule into your culture and help break the habit of complaining by sharing No Complaining Tools with everyone. Here are a few ideas.
Distribute cards with the No Complaining Rule printed on them.
Distribute cards with the three No Complaining Tools (page 49) on one side and the Five Things to Do Instead of Complain (page 114) on the other side.
Post No Complaining, Solutions Wanted, and Stay Positive posters in your office, home, or locker room, for example. Posters can be found at
www.NoComplainingRule.com.Have each person on your team read this book.
Step 9: Designate a No Complaining Week
After you introduce the No Complaining Rule to your organization or team, you'll want to shine a spotlight on the rule by designating a "No Complaining Week." This is a fun but very powerful way to ingrain the rule into the habits of each person and the culture of the organization. To implement a No Complaining Week, try the following:
Introduce the No Complaining Rule.
Make sure everyone has the No Complaining Tools mentioned in Step 8.
Encourage people to monitor their own thoughts for the week and pay attention to how negative they can be.
Create a fun reward/punishment process when people do complain. For example, in some organizations people put a dollar into a jar every time they complain. At the end of the week, they donate the collection to a charity.
Provide each person with the "No Complaining Week" Personal Action Plan found on the next page.