Negating Negativity: Quashing Negativity Before It Gets Out Of Control

  Stakeholder Management   Talent Management   PM Network  

A healthy dose of pessimism isn’t always a bad thing to have in the workplace. In a Psychology Today article published last November, author Annie Murphy Paul noted, “[P]essimism about a potential outcome can mobilize us to act with alacrity: There’s nothing like a looming disaster to make us get things done.”

But on projects, a distinct line must be drawn between that healthy pessimism and outright negativity. “Negativity always results in more negativity,” says Sam Barnes, project manager of web development projects at online dating and social network company Global Personals, Windsor, England. “It’s contagious and poisonous.”

Outward negativity can create speed bumps toward successful project completion and, at worst, cause project failure or irreparable damage to a client relationship. That’s a risk no project manager can afford to take. Effectively turning around a bad attitude requires recognizing that each role—team member, stakeholder or sponsor—requires a different approach.

Team Members: Curing Bad Apples

When a team member questions if the project is beneficial or even possible, the reaction commonly stems from pessimism about the deadline, budget or both. Charles Nelson, architect at Building Technology pty Ltd., an architecture firm in Melbourne, Australia, identifies four …

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