Are you blinded to good news by focusing on the bad?
Sometimes it is harder to spot the good news amongst the bad… and I was reminded of this when my manager pulled me aside recently to talk to me about my fancy corner desk which has a view of the outside world.
You see, the issue lies in that my large and private corner desk and window far outshines my manager’s more modest cubicle with a view of the wall.
So, my manager began to explain to me the rationale and all the reasons as to why this superior desk was really a manager’s desk and how I’m not in the office as much as I used to be.
Instead of focusing on the imminent loss, arguing about the injustice and stressing the relationship, I picked up on two possible signals of flexibility that could be captured with questions:
1. ‘Are you saying that I could keep my desk if I were to take on managerial responsibility?’
Or
2. ‘Are you saying that you are happy with my not coming into the office if I relinquish my desk?’
I chose to ask the latter and am happy to report that it is very pleasant sitting on a daybed in the garden rockery as I write this blog. Indeed, I suspect my productivity may have even improved!
Is there good news you may have missed by focusing on the bad?