Are you the “Vice President of NO”?

I also call this person “Mr./Ms. Grumpy pants”. Every organization has one. This is the person who can take a perfectly planned idea proposal and blow it apart with their steely glare by just walking into the room. This is the person that no one wants to sit next to during a meeting because their negativity oozes out of their pores like that old toy green slime oozes out of the plastic garbage can.

As leaders in organizations, we have to ask ourselves a few hard questions: Am I really for innovation and change, or am I desperately trying to control an outcome by holding onto processes and procedures that no longer work. Insert here: “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten”. Is that what your organization really needs to move forward?

Do this- the next time you are at a meeting, observe yourself, your comments, your non-verbals and your interactions. Are your being a supportive member of the team, or the “Vice President of No” that others are avoiding or rolling their eyes at.

Be honest. Is it working for you to be the “Vice President of NO” ? Would it be better for you, your personal branding, and for the cause to switch it up and become the “CEO of Yes”? Maybe its time to throw your Grumpy pants into the green slime trash can?
What do you have to lose but a pair of nasty old pants!
by Rita Perea
Please comment below with your experiences with “Grumpy Pants”