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Don't Focus on the Black Spot Speaking to her department managers, a young, dynamic executive tacked a huge sheet of white paper on the wall behind her. Then, with a felt-tip marker, she made a black spot in the middle of the paper. “What do you see?” she asked someone in the front row. “A black spot,” came the reply. She asked the same question of every manager, and received the same answer each time. Quietly, slowly, and with great emphasis, she then said, “You’re all correct, there is a little back spot up there. But not one of you mentioned the big sheet of perfectly clean, white paper! And that is my speech.” She went on to guide her organization from near collapse to record profits. Best of all, she helped her people develop positive attitudes toward themselves, their company, and their customers. She attributed her success to the practice of requiring each manager to submit each Monday morning a report of all the good things that happened in their department during the preceding week. Here’s what you can do: Be on the lookout for what’s right. Encourage the people on your team to do the same. Initiate a cycle of positive attitudes, thoughts, ideas and action that will make it easier to handle the “black spots.” When you find something that’s good, recognize and reinforce it.
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Leader says "Look for the good" -- managers learn to find it.
