We all wish our remote office experiences were more positivity. We would like to return to workplaces where positivity is on the rise and negativity is down.
We may even have a vision for what that reality might feel like. Inc.com says that, “Creating a vision puts meaning behind your goals. Instead of just setting small goals arbitrarily and hoping you end up in the right place, have a long-term destination to progressively move in the right direction.”
An article from the Houston Chronicle paints the picture for us. We can imagine a positive work culture that reinforces the way our business operates with values and norms shared between employees and management. Positivity would be evident in everything from how workers dress, what time they come in, how they spend their lunch hours and how they create solutions for internal and external issues.
Wishing for a positive culture is motivating. Having a vision for what that culture can look like makes that wish more concrete. Rubber bands can help translate that vision into reality.
I'm going to give you 3 ways rubber bands may be your best positivity tool at work.
1. Snap a rubber band when your thoughts or behaviors aren’t positive.
2. Put a pile of rubber bands on your desk as a visual reminder of your vision.
3. Watch those rubber bands become a conversation starter.
1. Snap a rubber band when your thoughts or behaviors aren’t positive.
Start by putting a rubber band on your wrist. My writing partner, Nicole Phillips has included snapping a rubber band as one of our 30 micro-actions to eliminate negativity wherever you work. Nicole writes that once we have identified our negative tendency towards negative thoughts and words, a rubber band is a practical way to catch them early and eventually eliminate them altogether.
Wear a rubber band on your wrist. Each time you catch yourself saying something negative, snap that rubber band.
The quick pinch connects your mind with your body. It tells us the words exiting our mouths are not inline with the new habits we are trying to form. Even looking at the rubber band bracelet is often enough to remind us we are on a path to more positivity.
2. Put a pile of rubber bands on your desk as a visual reminder of your vision.
Psychology Today talks about the importance of having visual cues, “Words are abstract and rather difficult for the brain to retain, whereas visuals are concrete and, as such, more easily remembered.” Having a pile of rubber bands on your desk will be a visual for the growing number of times you have demonstrated positivity. And, it will remind you of that rubber band on your wrist!
3. Watch those rubber bands become a conversation starter.
According to Thepowermoves.com, The best conversation starters do three things:
Make your entrance seamless and natural
Add value without demanding too much
Makes you look positive and confident
That simple pile of rubber bands accomplishers all three of these. They give you a seamless and natural entrance into a conversation about positivity anytime someone asks you why you have a pile of rubber bands on your desk. They add a value of playfulness without demanding others agree or engage with them. And, they reinforce your personal message and value of bringing positivity into the workplace.
Nicole and I train and inspire managers, supervisors and leaders to be the positivity champions in the office. Our book, Workplace Positivity, offers 30 micro-actions to eliminate negativity wherever you work.
Here is an excerpt from that book, the micro-action called, Snap That Rubber Band.
MICRO-ACTION THREE
Snap That Rubber Band
Now that we have identified our negative tendency towards these thoughts and
words, it’s time for a practical way to catch them early and eventually eliminate them
altogether.
I’m not into self harm, but the rubber band trick is pretty handy.
Have you ever reached into the oven and caught a little bit of your wrist or arm
on something hot? I know from personal experience it doesn’t feel great. The next
time we reach into the oven, we’re a bit more tentative and attentive to what we’re
doing.
The rubber band works in sort of the same way. Grab a rubber band from your
desk drawer and put it around your wrist like a bracelet.
Here comes the painful part. Each time you catch yourself saying something
negative, snap that rubber band.
The quick pinch connects your mind with your body. It tells us the words exiting
our mouths are not inline with the new habits we are trying to form. Even looking
at the rubber band bracelet is often enough to remind us we are on a path to more
positivity.
We’ve made a decision to stop saying negative words. We’ve geared up with our
trusty accountability partner and our snappy rubber band. But what do we do when
other people’s words and actions pull us back into the pit? We create an exit plan.
COACH NEAL’S NOTES (In the book, we take turns writing chapters. The other one gives some professional reflection.)
When is a rubber band worth $40 million? When it stops you from tweeting a
statement that gets you and your company fined that much money. Elon Musk tweeted
out that he was thinking of taking his company, Tesla, private. That led to fraud charges
by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk and Tesla paid $20 million apiece
as part of a fraud settlement and led to him resigning as chairman of Tesla’s board of
directors for the next three years.
I just wonder if Musk had a rubber band he could snap when he got impetuous ideas,
if he might have better outcomes in the long run.
Now it’s your turn.
In the comments, tell me your #1 takeaway and how you plan to use it in your workplace?
Want more? Click here for a free excerpt from Workplace Positivity with three micro-actions.
For more about Workplace Positivity, go to Amazon.com
For more about the work I am doing, go to NealNybo.com