Send to KindleIn the last installment of Dealing With Problem Employees we discussed the fire starter; that person who seems to cause a lot of problems. The opposite is the fire extinguisher. This person tends to stamp out enthusiasm in others and can suck the life out of your company.
If you remember the children’s story, Winnie the Pooh, you’ll recall Eeyore, the donkey who was always negative about everything. Eeyore was a fire extinguisher. This person has never met a suggestion or initiative they didn’t hate and they will not miss an opportunity to tell everyone about it.
A good way to approach these people is to assume their negative attitude comes from experience and that means they may have some valuable, if different ways of looking at an issue. Rather than shunning them, which is the easy and most common approach, bring them into the discussion. Much like we discussed with the arguer, ask them to present their views, but only by providing alternative suggestions. When they present something of value, tell them so. When they resort to just whining, stop them.
It’s true that sometimes it’s not possible to stop the incessant whining, but you’ll usually have much better results when the fire extinguisher begins to realize you value their opinions when those opinions are well presented.
