The No Complaining Rule

As we work through our PFSbrands Core Values, we’ve covered such things as having a positive attitude to just simply having fun. Any one of our Core Values alone is a great value to live or work by, as a collective unit they can shape any company. Today we are going to quickly discuss two more PFSbrands Core Values: There’s no I in Team and No Complaining. But before we dive in, let’s review our entire set of Core Values:

PFSbrands Core Values 

  1. Have fun
  2. Always treat others as you want to be treated
  3. Practice ‘ownership thinking’
  4. Positive ATTITUDE always
  5. I – There’s no I in TEAM
  6. No complaining
  7. Entitlements do not exist
  8. Structure & balance – God, family, work, and everything else
  9. Straight talk and Simple is better
  10. Remember that the customer is why we are here
  11. U never get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression
  12. Learn to communicate openly through all channels
  13. Everyone has the opportunity to excel

If you follow the first letters down, you will notice that our core values spell out HAPPINESS RULE.  As we all live and work by these core values I guarantee you that our work will be more fun and more rewarding.  I’ve already broken down core values 1 through 4 and below you will see core values 5 and 6.

1. Have Fun

2. Always Treat Others as You Want to be Treated

3. Practice Ownership Thinking

4. Positive Attitude Always

5. I – There’s No I In Team

A team is made up of individuals. There are good teams and bad teams. The most successful teams are those that know their teammates so well that they begin to anticipate moves. For a team to be successful, it is not necessary to have the most talented players, although this can be a big benefit if players are coached correctly.

The most important part of successful teams is the fact that they work together toward a common goal and everyone realizes their role. In football for instance, you can’t be hugely successful unless you have an entire unit that can put all of key pieces together that makes for a winning team. It starts with the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. Successful businesses are no different than successful teams. You must deliver in your individual roles, but you must also understand the big picture. You have to know the rules and you have to know what winning looks like.

6. No Complaining

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and unfortunately a part of our society that has become far too accepted. Needless complaining is simply just a waste of your time and the time of those that you are complaining to. Further, it is contagious and before you know it the non-complainers have been sucked into the complaining mentality. These individuals that consistently complain don’t realize they are doing absolutely no good and dragging others into their dark hole of negativity.

Many that complain will defend themselves by saying it is good to ‘vent’. I couldn’t disagree more. I feel it is good to talk about your problems with those that care.  If you truly want to improve your own personal well being, you should offer solutions so that people can work together to improve life for everyone. The next time you feel like complaining, think about how you can be constructive by taking the high road and offering a solution.

Note:  If anyone wants to read a quick and short book on this topic try picking up “The No Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon. I guarantee you that it will make you think differently about complaining both at work and in your personal life.

Wrap-Up

There you have it. Building a great team and a great culture is a lot of work. Our company is built on the principles of teamwork. When you combine this with a “Positive, no complaining” mindset, you can create a winning team that can prevail in any situation or business environment.

Next time, I will break down one of the PFSbrands Core Values that I probably stress the most to our employee owners at PFSbrands – Entitlements do not exist. As you will see, I have a lot to say on this subject!