| True enough, but it's not just about making anyone happy. Even thick-skinned people have a hard time with another type of negativity: "Negativity" doesn't only mean high quality criticism, or pessimism. It also refers to low quality, demanding, draining, and often competitive and repetitive discussions where critics are full of it. Sometimes there is also bullying, always talking over, making out that coworkers are stupid, taking credit for others work, not pulling their own weight, trying to trick people, manipulating people to their disadvantage, insinuations, word-twisting and game-playing, that sort of thing. That sort of negativity is draining. It's negative in an energy and morale sense. That's not about hurting anyone's feelings, and it's not even about sadness and happiness. It's just that some ongoing interactions drain everyone's energy without giving much back in exchange. Everyone does it occasionally. Some people do it a lot - those can destroy a team and a company. |