Sticks and stones may break your bones, but these words can ruin a workplace atmosphere.
‘This can’t be done’
Nothing kills a positive, productive mood than a naysayer who sees a problem in every proposal, instead of finding a creative way to make it work. Imagine if the Wright brothers gave up after the very first time someone told them they were being ridiculous for thinking humans could fly. A better way to phrase it would be: “How about we try a different approach?”
‘Should’ve/would’ve/could’ve’
Hindsight is never perfect, and if, instead of focusing on the problem at present or steps to be taken in the future, you find yourself harping on all the things your colleague did wrong in the past, you’re wasting everyone’s time. While it is important to learn from past mistakes, you’ll have a far better reaction from your co-worker if you phrase it as “for the future, it’s better ...” or “moving forward, we should remember not to ...”
‘I’m not getting paid enough to’
The moment you say this, you lose the sympathy of everyone around you and end up sounding like a whiner. This kind of phrasing totally displays a career-limiting bad attitude. If it’s your supervisor making what you think is an unreasonable request, a better way to wriggle out would be to politely state that you already have a lot on your plate, which needs to be prioritised before this task.
The key word to remember is “positive.” No one likes an energy drain; not your co-workers, not your boss, and certainly not your underlings. Even a conflict situation can be made less tense if you can rephrase everything in a positive light and assign blame away from the person and focus it on action instead.
