It’s not that I want to date myself back to the days of the Cro-Magnon man, but I was having coffee with an old class mate from our Dale Carnegie training days in the late 80’s. We discussed how some of the principles we learned have been life altering. The two that resonate the most with me pertain to making relationships, both at home and at work, more productive.

1. Avoid people that condemn, criticize and complain – We all know people that brighten a room by leaving it; people who have never in their lives seen the glass as half full. It’s not that they roll out of bed in the morning and say “I wonder who’s day I can ruin today?” It’s simply that they live by the credo “Misery loves company”. If they can make you as lousy as them, mission accomplished!

Here’s a quick strategy to help them help themselves; any time they douse you with a bucket of negativity, respond with, “That’s really too bad. What are you going to do about it?” After a while, they may come to understand that they have some control over their destiny, and that you won’t serve as a site for their toxic disposal dump.
2. Talk to people about things they are interested in – Want to be seen as a great conversationalist? Ask questions about the people you are with. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a topic that people will find as fascinating as them. Ask about their family, their hobbies, and their upcoming or last vacations. Ask about their favourite cars, or stars or bars. Besides being viewed as a scintillating conversationalist, you take all of the pressure off of yourself.
Simple principles, which are as old as time. And no, I am not that old!!

Ron Morris