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87th out of 101 books
—
23 voters
The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work
by
Jon Gordon
Negativity in the workplace costs businesses billions of dollars and impacts the morale, productivity and health of individuals and teams. "In "The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work," Jon Gordon, a bestselling author, consultant and speaker, shares an enlightening story that demonstrates how you can conquer negativity and inspire others to...more
Hardcover, 155 pages
Published
June 1st 2008
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published January 1st 2008)
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This is a light and insubstantial little book that tells us what we all probably already know: positivity breeds a better work environment. The book presents a quick action plan to weed out negativity in the work place. I'll save you the cheesy (and at times really sexist) novella: 1: understand the cost of negativity, 2: understand the no complaining rule, 3: define justified complaining vs mindless, 4: identify your complaint/solution process, 5: act on that process, 6: celebrate successes, 7:...more
This short but good book talks about ways to deal with negative energy and attitudes, not just in the workplace, but also in life in general.
Using a fictional situation, the book follows an HR director of a company dealing with problems that can be traced back to negative attitudes at work. The company must find a way of dealing with the current situation and ensuring that the employees engage in more positive actions and attitudes.
In her personal life the HR director, aptly named Hope, is also...more
Using a fictional situation, the book follows an HR director of a company dealing with problems that can be traced back to negative attitudes at work. The company must find a way of dealing with the current situation and ensuring that the employees engage in more positive actions and attitudes.
In her personal life the HR director, aptly named Hope, is also...more
My book club selected this book after a manager at our company recommended it. To be clear, we picked it as a joke. I went in thinking I'd give it a good skim and a chuckle. I was wrong. This book sucked me in immediately because of HOW COMPLETELY TERRIBLE IT IS. I had to continue reading for entertainment. Allow me to share with you some of my favorite worst passages in this atrocious excuse for a book.
Exhibit A: Some fantastically awful character descriptions:
"He was a fast-talking northeast...more
Hi Guys!
One of you…. You know who you are…. Shared a VERY inspirational book with me today that I was compelled to share with all of you. It is called The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon. It is a story about a woman who has lots of things going amiss in her life- we all have that number right! ;) Anyhow…. At work things heat up and simultaneously she finds out that she needs to go to the hospital for some important tests because she might have breast cancer. What could be worse???? She is angr...more
One of you…. You know who you are…. Shared a VERY inspirational book with me today that I was compelled to share with all of you. It is called The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon. It is a story about a woman who has lots of things going amiss in her life- we all have that number right! ;) Anyhow…. At work things heat up and simultaneously she finds out that she needs to go to the hospital for some important tests because she might have breast cancer. What could be worse???? She is angr...more
Of all the years, first as an employee and then as a professional trainer and speaker, I have never come across any company that had its employees & employers not complain about each other.
Almost every company has this problem. Not just company. Every family, every relationship and everyone else.
In fact you don’t have to go very far.
If you have anyone that closely resembles anything like me (apart from all the ink all over my body) working in your company, it would be highly profitable fo...more
Hope, the head of HR at her company, comes in to work feeling like she's been hit by a bus and finds that her company is in a panic. Production problems combined with snarky bloggers have made national news. For almost a year, she's been wallowing in self-pity and misery because of personal problems, but with her company now in crisis mode, her CEO tells her she needs to step-up. She struggles to find answers to the problems she and her company face.
I downloaded this as an audiobook from Audible...more
I downloaded this as an audiobook from Audible...more
Are you a chronic complainer? Take a look at your life and think...how do you spend most of your time talking to people? And when you complain do you offer suggestions for ways to improve it? This is the premise behind this book and a plan to reduce complaints, not only at work, but in the rest of your life as well. And before you get in a tizzy, no complaining isn't necessarily wrong. But, when it starts consuming your life perhaps its a chance to step back. And if at work that's all you hear,...more
While nothing in this book is earth-shattering, it is a good reminder to stop complaining and to think positively.
I also like that it is told in a story format, instead of just some boring person telling you why we complain and what to do to rectify it.
Also, the techniques mentioned to go from complaining to thinking about complaining to turning it to fully being about no complaining are useful. I also like that it tells us that no matter what, we're always going to complain.
I think the easiest...more
I also like that it is told in a story format, instead of just some boring person telling you why we complain and what to do to rectify it.
Also, the techniques mentioned to go from complaining to thinking about complaining to turning it to fully being about no complaining are useful. I also like that it tells us that no matter what, we're always going to complain.
I think the easiest...more
It definitely did read a bit like an after school special - I could even imagine the accompanying music. And towards the end I did feel very 'blah blah syrup syrup' THE END. BUT - the principle is marvelous. That workplaces lose efficiency due to mindless complaining and that being able to foster and grow a more positive environment was crucial to success. Love the idea, which can be summed up in the quote below, but didn't like the fable way it was shared.
quote:
Employees are not allowed to min...more
quote:
Employees are not allowed to min...more
Nov 30, 2011
Stacey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Stacey by:
Mary Thornton
Shelves:
community
I think this book was written for the business world, but is highly applicable to any group of people, including family. I think this would be great to incorporate into the spring play. We could have a no complaining rule, anyone who is caught complaining will put 10,000 rupes into a jar--we could choose together what that jar would benefit. But I think the most important part of this rule is the opportunity to voice felt problems, and know you will be heard. It just has to be voiced to the righ...more
I absolutely love the fact that this book delivered its message by telling a story! I could really relate to Hope and felt like I could more easily understand the concept of the "No Complaining Rule" because I learned about it along with her.
I think the idea of the No Complaining Rule is something I can implement in my daily life but I actually look forward to working on the 5 things to do INSTEAD of complain even more!
This was a quick read but the message stuck with me, so even though it only t...more
I think the idea of the No Complaining Rule is something I can implement in my daily life but I actually look forward to working on the 5 things to do INSTEAD of complain even more!
This was a quick read but the message stuck with me, so even though it only t...more
Well I really liked reading this book after completing the "Energy Bus". I am definitely on board with both of these books and plan to implement them into my life, home and business. I think when Jon got to the end of the book he pulled the pieces together very nicely, and if you really study the plan it will direct you back to key sections in the book to remember and plan your own implementation.
Be sure to visit his web site as well. I think that the posters, discussion guides and other items t...more
Be sure to visit his web site as well. I think that the posters, discussion guides and other items t...more
We all need more "Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work." Sometimes we are the center of negativity ourselves and sometimes we have a co-worker who is. Either way, this book is a strong contribution to the self-help literature. Writing fable-style, with a lead character whose personal and professional life is headed south, Gordon gives us a way to connect our own situations with his master thesis. Chronic venting is not productive... it creates a downward spiral of negativity that makes...more
I just finished this book and it is marvelous. I have heard of the Complaint Free World concept and actually have the purple wristband. This book is NOT affiliated with the above mentioned organization, but does acknowledge them in the book.
The concept is simple, stop complaining for one day. Use resources such as when you think of a complaint add a but. For example: The mechanics are taking much too long to fix my car...but I should be happy it can be fixed. You can focus on get to instead of...more
The concept is simple, stop complaining for one day. Use resources such as when you think of a complaint add a but. For example: The mechanics are taking much too long to fix my car...but I should be happy it can be fixed. You can focus on get to instead of...more
The No Complaining Rule could be considered a self-help book. Though the way the information is presented brings it into an entirely new category.
The No Complaining Rule is told as a story. The story of Hope, Vice President of Human Resources at a computer company. The story starts out with Hope going through some person problems, she comes into work to find out the company is also experiencing some problems. Her boss, Dan leaves it up to Hope to help them find their way out of this mess, speci...more
The No Complaining Rule is told as a story. The story of Hope, Vice President of Human Resources at a computer company. The story starts out with Hope going through some person problems, she comes into work to find out the company is also experiencing some problems. Her boss, Dan leaves it up to Hope to help them find their way out of this mess, speci...more
Good concepts novelized...high-level details and other resources that can be duplicated are shared in the back of this quick read. You have to slog through the story of how it came to be first though. I think I would have benefitted from some examples of these concepts in action or some anecdotes about innovative solutions that were implemented. There were quite a few references to Gordon's previous book The Energy Bus, which made me feel like this was a sequel of sorts.
Complaining serves little purpose, hurts and kills productivity and moral.
One negative person can create a miserable environment for everyone else.
Complaining and negative emotions are associated with decreased life span, fewer friends, increased risk of heart attack, more stress and no success.
Do not complain to anyone other then your supervisor/management and be prepared to give a solution to that which you complain about! It's not that you should ignore things that are wrong or not working, b...more
One negative person can create a miserable environment for everyone else.
Complaining and negative emotions are associated with decreased life span, fewer friends, increased risk of heart attack, more stress and no success.
Do not complain to anyone other then your supervisor/management and be prepared to give a solution to that which you complain about! It's not that you should ignore things that are wrong or not working, b...more
Although this would never win any prizes for literature (I felt the characters were one-dimensional and the plot a little flat), the concept and the way it is presented make it worthy of four stars. It is unique and feels realistic, like you could actually implement the no-complaing rule and make it work in everday life. I am beginning my no-complaining fast now.
Why does it take an entire book written on eight-year-old level to say what might have been said in literally ONE PAGE? It's hard to believe this book was written for adults. As a matter of fact, my son's freshman English class (high school ) is reading it first semester. That alone should tell you something.
I first heard about this book and this author from my email listserve--"Feed Blitz" for "Connected Principals." It is wonderful! I definitely want to apply the principles in my own personal life as well as at Esperanza for staff, parents, and scholars. :) I will definitely want to read more books by this author.
My boss gave me this book to read and she wants the two of us to start the "No Complaining Week". The idea behind the book is good: Positive thoughts lead to postive outcomes. Complaining and being negataive is a cancer in life, organizations and teams. True, but not very orginial.
The book is poorly written using the character "Hope" to explain the ideas. The "No Complaining Rule" solves her problem at work, reunites her with her teenage kids, helps her through cancer, and allows her to fully re...more
The book is poorly written using the character "Hope" to explain the ideas. The "No Complaining Rule" solves her problem at work, reunites her with her teenage kids, helps her through cancer, and allows her to fully re...more
I jumped at the chance to check out this book because I want to minimize my negative thoughts and words. Although I was looking forward to reading it, I wasn't sure I was going to like what I saw in my own life. I'm glad I read it because this was a very positive book. I appreciate how Gordon approaches removing bad habits by replacing them with good ones. As an example, the book mentions replacing complaining with gratitude. My goal is to better control my negative comments to influence and enc...more
Having a history of being a habitual complainer and possessing a negative mindset, I was expecting this to be somewhat painful. Not so! This is a pretty easy read, much better than I anticipated. I got pulled in easier than I thought I would, and some of the characters had recognizable attributes and traits like people I have worked with, and also, myself. After I got started, I was looking forward to getting back to it when I had to stop reading due to time restrictions. Now I'm going to read a...more
The ideas and principles are solid and I've been working to put them into practice in my life and at work. The delivery is overly simple (it's story-style) and not all that well written.
The No Complaining Rule is a cheesy read, but worth the review of the excellent principles it contains. We never do ourselves or anyone else a favor by complaining. So do yourself a favor and read this book. It's worth the short time it takes.
This is an interesting little book and most managers I think would be glad to be rid of complaining. It seems like a simple principle and like it would be easy to implement and I LOVE that there is actually an action plan in the back of the book.
I'm going to try some of the principles myself and see if I can at least shift my own attitudes before pitching it to my work teams. But this book makes me hopeful.
I'm going to try some of the principles myself and see if I can at least shift my own attitudes before pitching it to my work teams. But this book makes me hopeful.
An easy read in one sitting that gives a gentle reminder and some common sense tips. Negativity breeds negativity. Never mind, you don't have to read it, just remember that!
I like the concepts, but they get bogged down by the goofy "story" that frames them. The next time I think a professional book needs to be more narrative and less didactic, I'll remember this one and count my blessings.
Read the book in about 3 hours. Nice way to help me with positive thinking during this rough patch I am going through. Must provide a solution! Simple and Concise!
Its really a wonderful book. This book deals with how one can change the negativity into positive solutions. It shows so many ways how not to complain others.
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Aug 31, 2012 01:24pm