5 Ungrateful People
#1. Bob Betterman.
Bob is an expert faultfinder. He’s ungrateful because no one measures up. He sees weaknesses in everyone.
#2. Sam Firstboy.
Sam won’t say it, but he believes people exist to serve him. He may seem humble, kind, and polite but arrogance beats in his heart.
Ungrateful people eventually grab their toys and run home because people disappoint.
Tip: You always have a place when you show up to serve. (We serve each other. Let people serve you, too.)
#3. Nelly Knowsmore.
Nelly knows how everyone should do their job, even though she doesn’t actually do their job.
I keep my mouth shut when my wife is cooking. For some reason I know how she should cook, even though my expertise in cooking ends with burgers on the grill. (I learned this lesson the hard way.)
Be grateful for the knowledge of others, even if you think you know more.
#4. Tammy Bossmore.
Tammy loves telling people what to do. She’s ungrateful because they never do quite enough.
Tammy’s ungrateful because, like Bob Betterthan, she feels superior to the ‘little people’.
#5. Harry Hogsthespotlite.
Harry believes the applause others receive is undeserved and the applause he receives is inadequate.
Praise is a limiter for those who can’t live without it.
The person who needs the spotlight only rises to the level of the praise they receive.
The first time someone on your team receives praise for something you taught them – but you remain unacknowledged – is one of the great tests of leadership.
Enabling and empowering gets to the point that others outshine you in some area. That’s when you step into the shadows.
You look pathetic when you bring up your contribution to someone else’s success. What enemies of gratitude do you notice?
You rise on the wings of gratitude and people rise with you.
Who might you add to the list?
This post was originally published 11/25/2020
Bonus material:
The Five Freedoms of Gratitude
This four-letter Word is the Enemy of Gratitude (PT)
We must absolutely bring kindness and gratefulness back into our lives. Leaders need to be realistically authentic and inspire with true values as well as with unique connections. Thanks, Paul
So many good things are born in the soil of gratitude.
Dan, I love the names you created for the ungrateful people you discuss.
Be grateful for what you have.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Paul
Happy Thanksgiving to you also.
I’m grateful I don’t report to any of these types, and I’m also grateful that I’m no longer a couple of these types. I recognize my younger self often wanted to take his toys and go home. I’m also grateful for leaders and daily reminders that point me to my better self. Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh man, you hit hard this time! Thank you, this post hit me hard, and your right, I can deal with the first four, but precisely nowdays I remain unnoticed, I am not very vocal person I prefer one on one conversation, I have change lifes, attitudes, lifted someone else’s performance and share knowledge, some people acknowledge me privately, one even in public but a lot more nothing, this is very hard to dealt with. I even had considered leaving my job.
Thank you for your wisdom.
I’m grateful for your insights, Dan, and the reminders you share to keep it real. Happy Thanksgiving!
The other day, I got very aggravated at my husband, who has ADHD and PTSD, for not putting the dishes away when he cleared the dishwasher. He had left them on the counter. I didn’t say anything and sat down at my desk and thought, “At least you didn’t have to load and unload the washer. Be grateful for that.” Later on, my evil smarty mouth just had to quip at him to put up the dishes. His reply, “I’m sorry, I got distracted by something. Be grateful that I did them”. I should be grateful indeed. Grateful that he did the dishes. Grateful that I have a husband that loves me and tells me I’m beautiful, even when I just woke up. Gratitude is something we should always practice and live by, at work and at home.
Dan,
I enjoy all of your posts. But this one makes the top 5, and it isn’t #5. Love the names and the descriptions. They are 100% on-point.
Thank you for your contribution to the world. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Thanks for all the wonderful posts each week! I start my day with each one! Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!
So grateful for this, and yes, sadly I see myself in one of them. I have been at my job for so long I think I know everything, but I don’t. I have helped so many people advance and learn, and it sometimes does hurt when they surpass me (in position and salary) and don’t acknowledge my contributions to their success. I need to do better. Thank you, Dan.
Debbie Despondant- Debbie may know it’s a Holiday of Thanksgiving and joy. However she seems to thrive on everything negative in the world- what’s wrong in her own life, what’s wrong with Aunt Gladys’s stuffing and gravy, what’s wrong with the economy and the world. She rarely has a positive thing to say about anything or anyone,