04/14/2023

Replace Knee-jerk Negativity With a Positive Intent

Societal momentum tends to carry us toward negative assumptions

You've likely heard the old story about a driver on a dangerous, winding, narrow road who barely escapes a head-on collision when another driver comes at him swerving from around a blind bend. That oncoming driver gestures wildly and yells, "Pig!," inspiring an angry response — until the original driver rounds the corner to discover a large pig in the middle of the road and realizes that he had been warned — not insulted.

How frequently does this silly tale play out in the workplace? Today's highly polarized environment teamed with unprecedented levels of stress and burnout have left many of us tender, reactive and prone to make our own decisions about the motivations of those around us. In some cases, there seems to be societal momentum that carries us toward negative assumptions and responses. And these internal processes affect the person making those assumptions and those around them. 

What if we performed a mental reset and made assuming positive rather than negative intent our default instead?

Please select this link to read the complete article from SmartBrief.