Using Our Business to Push Back the Negativity

No matter where you get your news – online, TV, or radio – the constant stream of negativity is crushing. Terms like massacre, carnage, and terror are commonplace.

It’s called “Breaking News” because it’s breaking our hearts.

Our friends at Good Leadership refer to this as the “dark noise.” They challenged us recently in their own blog to help be the ones who rewrite the headlines. So as businesses and organizations, teams and coworkers, what’s our role in creating that change?

Here’s where we fit…

First, we need to continue making the shift from transactional to relational business. This means embracing the responsibility that every connection we make in our businesses and organizations is an opportunity to be a light. From a meeting with a client to a morning networking breakfast, each one is a chance to spread a little positivity. It’s more than the next sale, and it’s more than the next project – so long as we’re intentional to make it more.

Second, we need to stay checked in with our coworkers. Every member of our teams is an individual with value, and treating one another with that in mind is so important. We spend more time awake at work than anywhere else. That means we have a unique level of access to our coworkers, but if we don’t make the time to create deeper connections, we’re missing an amazing opportunity. Learn their stories, meet them where they’re at, and stand with them in their struggles. Don’t let the busy-ness of business keep you from creating relationships that count.

Third, we need to stay connected at home. Beyond our work, some of the greatest depth in our lives comes through our relationships with our spouses, children, and closest friends. If we’re connected at work, but disconnected at home, we’re missing our greatest opportunity. Slow down enough to be present, check-in, and create joy. Ask questions, and spend some time listening. Be there when you’re there.

All three of these areas come back to connection. As Good Leadership shared in their blog, “Goodness is when people thrive together in a culture of encouragement, accountability, and positive teamwork.” Things like encouragement, accountability, and teamwork only happen together, never alone.

As businesses and individuals, we may not be able to prevent El Paso or Dayton. Our circles of influence may be limited… but they do exist, and that leaves us with a great responsibility. It’s on each of us to create those deeper, more personal connections where we can, and quit making the excuse that we’re not part of the solution.

Call-to-Action

Here’s one last thought. You were blessed to wake up today. Act like it. You’ll see plenty of people in the news today who thought they had years and decades in front of them and their lives were unexpectedly cut short. With that in mind, take advantage of the fact that you woke up this morning. Be grateful, make the most of each moment, and don’t waste the day. Do something to help make someone else’s day just a little better.