Category Archive: pessimism

15 Reasons Positive Leaders Seem Negative

Negative leaders look in the mirror and see someone who cares. There are “good” reasons for negativity. You’re negative because… Some babies come out smiling and some come like Eeyore. It’s not an… Continue reading

How to Turn Negative Nancy into Positive Pam

Dear Dan, How do you distinguish between a true Negative Nancy and one who just has an eye for identifying areas that need improvement? There are folks who have the ability to immediately… Continue reading

3 Hard-and-Fast Rules for Dealing with Negative People

Negative people stir the slop and smell the same stink over and over. It’s exhausting.   3 hard-and-fast rules for dealing with negative people: #1. The three-time rule: It’s your responsibility when Dark… Continue reading

A Simple Practice that Yields Disproportionate Advantage

“Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.” Peter Drucker Bad is an erasure. One dingbat behavior erases many noble behaviors.… Continue reading

The Leader who Smells Dead Mice

I smell dead mice everywhere. It all started with a dead mouse in the wall. I thought I smelled a dead mouse in the grocery store. I bought a hot dog for lunch… Continue reading

7 Ways to Help People Pivot from Negative to Positive

To get the ball rolling at the beginning of presentations, I share my cellphone number and ask people to text me fun questions. Serious questions come later. 2 fun questions I recently received:… Continue reading