On the Management Essentials blog of HarvardBusiness.org, Amy Gallo offers advice on how to handle a pessimist on your team.
As she says: "Dealing with a pessimist on your team can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. Attempts to ignore or counter frequent negative comments may simply incite further negativity."
However, Gallo insists that you can help the pessimist change their behaviour and make the team more productive by being proactive.
She suggests three approaches to negative behaviour:
1) Creating awareness: Pull the team member aside and explain how their comments are received. Once you understand the reason for the negativity you can give them any necessary support.
2) Repositioning negative statements: Don't allow the negativity to fester. Ask the team member for the reasoning behind their pessimism, or for an alternative.
3) Involving the whole team: Singling out a team member in front of the whole team can be damaging. Set team norms and ask everyone to observe them.
How to Handle the Pessimist on Your Team
Amy Gallo, HarvardBusiness.org, 17/09/09
pessimist
Often it is not feeling engaged in the activity being performed...ergo give reasons for what they are doing that really helps the overall success of that activity. This can be tricky and difficult with an endless variety of variables. Just caring can often be a solution.