A Complaint-Free Staff

Every year at our annual Distance Learning Administration conference, people comment with awe on the friendliness and cheerfulness of my distance learning staff. We are very bonded, and most of us have been in the department for ten years or more. However, we have had our moments and our tears. Back in the spring, I noticed that there was an unusual amount of cattiness and moodiness permeating our normally fresh air. I was pondering how to address it when I happened to hear about a "miracle" book. For our summer planning retreat, the staff (myself included) read and discussed The Complaint Free World. In this book, the author challenges the reader to go 20 days without complaining, criticizing or gossiping. He also describes how toxic these speech patterns are both to ourselves and those around us. We started the program, and the results have been amazing. Although none of us has actually made it a full 20 days (it is truly difficult!), we have all realized how, almost unconsciously, we were complaining, and it is at a far, far lower level now. I know that this book doesn't just apply to distance learning administration - it could be for any office, family, or organization - but it is at the top of my read list.