One of the aims of the PalletOne culture is to “purge negativity”. Several times lately, I’ve seen some interpret “purging negativity” as not bringing up negative things.

Ignoring negative situations will kill us. “Purging negativity” is not pushing down problems. It’s raising problems in a constructive manner and dealing with them as a team.

We are “purging negativity” when we approach every problem with the idea that we can solve it. We believe we can act as a team. Develop ideas. Put together a plan to solve. Work together to implement the plan.

Our problem solving process doesn’t involve “finger pointing”, because we make the problem the task. The problem is the enemy. It’s our goal to identify problems and fix them. Our effectiveness at this process is what assures our success. It gives us an edge.

Being effective at solving problems builds confidence. It causes us to be optimistic when problems arise. Pessimism breeds negativity. When a team believes that they can’t win and nothing will change, they probably are right. “Purging negativity” means we approach issues with a constructive, positive approach.

Negative cultures have no trust. When you have no trust, people become selfish. The team’s interests are secondary to personal interests. Teams which pull together win. Teams with selfish players lose.

Avoiding “negativity” causes you to pause and think. Choosing a more positive approach means you will work hard to define the problem and frame it. Choosing a more positive approach will cause you to view a problem from more angles. You will step into the shoes of others.

The outcomes of no negativity is reduced stress and drama. It creates a better environment for hard work. It raises the level of satisfaction we experience, because we achieve positive results.

You aren’t being negative when you point out issues to be addressed, areas where we don’t meet customer expectations, areas where the competition is better than us. Do it the right way and we become better.