“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”  – Confucius

 

Whining. Griping. Grumbling.  Or other words we could use.

Ever so common, and so easy to fall into.  Also just as easy to get reactionary or defensive to the whine itself – or even slip into a bit of a pity party.  Ooh, not so pretty.

Smart leaders, though, know that behind every complaint is actually an unfulfilled request.   Yes, a request.  You can look at griping (even our own) as just an unskillful form of communication: someone wants something, but they just don’t know how to ask for it. 

Complaints, particularly when they get personal, are just another form of blaming, one of four team behaviors to avoid.  Instead of taking it personally or getting defensive, however, focusing instead on the behavior that is being requested allows for change to actually happen.

If you can find the reasonable request for behavior change underneath the complaint, you can respond directly to what’s actually being asked for, and by-pass the griping.  Instead of getting snarled in a whining whirlpool, you’ll get much farther towards actually resolving the issue.

Try this:

1) The next time you get a complaint – from a co-worker, your boss, your kids, your spouse, yourself – instead of giving a jerk-knee response or defending yourself, look deeper:  What is this person really asking for?  What is the reasonable request that is lingering below the surface?

Example complaint:  Why can’t he ever start the meeting on time?
Reasonable request:  I’d like to start our meetings promptly.

Example complaint:  She’s so irresponsible.
Reasonable request: I’d like her to take more responsibility for this project.

Tip:  If you struggle with this, look for the behavior that is being asked for within the complaint.  Imagine that the person has a legitimate need, but simply doesn’t know how to ask for what they want.  Once you identify it, respond to the actual request, rather than defending yourself against the complaint.

2) The next time you are inclined to complain about something or someone, see if you can instead listen for your own request that’s underneath the frustration.  Try turning your own complaint into a request about the behavior you’d like to see, and notice the impact with the other person when you ask for what you actually want.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.  Try the suggestions above, and tell me:

1) What happened when you responded to the actual request, instead of the complaint?

2) Where else could you use this technique?