I admit it. I was one. I have seen the light.
Often when you're a well-intentioned employee, you want your company to improve its barbaric ways. You don't stop at Identify The Worst Problem, you make sure everyone knows about it so that we can get off our butts and do something about it. You're not exactly sure how to solve the problems, but we need to do something (Any Xis Better Than None, right?). When the boss starts babbling about what he thinks the major problems are, you let him know, in no uncertain terms, how wrong he is.
But you never seem to be able to motivate anyone to do anything...
Therefore,
Realize that nobody likes a complainer. Nobody helps a complainer. A complainer may have the most amazing idea in the world, and nobody will listen. Why should they? The complainer doesn't listen to them, after all. Convincing people is not about logic, it's about understanding. Nobody will bother to understand you unless you take the time to understand them first (see Seek First To Understand).
Learn as much as you can about social skills and influence. Read books like How To Win Friends And Influence People. Above all, Stop Complaining!!!
It is easy for other people to recognize a Chronic Complainer, but the complainers don't recognize themselves as such. If the following statements seem true to you, then it's possible that you are a Chronic Complainer without realizing it:
Nobody ever asks my opinion.
Everything around here is really screwed up, and I am the only one who cares.
My co-workers ignore all my suggestions.
My co-workers won't accept Constructive Criticism. They can't handle the truth.
I am powerless to fix things myself, and nobody will help me.
(If your reaction to the above statements is "Those are all true, but I am not a Chronic Complainer", then you may be in need of a strong Whack On The Side Of The Head.)
I wish someone had told me this 15 years ago.
Let me suggest a more positive way to say "Above all, Stop Complaining!!!": Fix Broken Windows.
Most of the time, the same force that generates a complaint also generates an opportunity. Instead of complaining "The fribitz is broken again", try saying "Here is a gabille that seems to work better than the fribitz". As it becomes a habit, you may find that both you and your companions enjoy your company more.
For more on turning complaints into positive action, see Act Instead Of Complain, Lead By Example.
I've tried this myself, and in my case it definitely worked. Instead of complaining, I would take the initiative to help the people I was working with to solve their current problems, one at a time. This builds respect and trust, allowing you to eventually guide the changes you want (many of them anyway), without the frustration that Chronic Complainers get.
See original on c2.com 