Ugh! You know them, you don’t like them and it’s hard not to do the very thing you hate about them – whine about them. If you are like me you have had your share of whiny, negative and complaining employees.

As I have grown older, and I believe a bit wiser, it is hard for me to be around yammering negative people. They suck my energy and frankly waste my time. They complain about everything from the organization, their manager, other employees, customers, the weather, free lunches and on and on. Blah blah blah… leave me alone – okay? I am on a soap box of sorts, but this is something all leaders should realize sooner than later if they haven’t already – whiners and complainers are not doers, they are idle poisoners.

Not too long ago I heard a short, but very powerful anecdote I would like to share. A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash.