Focusing on the Bright Spots – People Edition
The concept of focusing on the bright spots was discussed by Chip and Dan Heath in the book Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard. In a nutshell, finding the bright spots simply means to focus on the positives of a given situation or environment and focus on ways to expand on them or replicate them. In another words, take a moment to look at what is working (and working well) and grow those positives. When I first read the book, I immediately though of bright spots as systems, processes, and behaviors. However recently I’ve applied the same mentality to people which has helped me with conflict resolution and quality of interaction.
Which People are Your Bright Spots?
I self-identify as an extroverted introvert which basically means that I love working with people, but after a certain amount of time I need solo time to recharge. Being in a situation of constant people interaction over the last month had my tolerance of bad behavior on a rubber-band. Perusing ways to improve the situation, my mind wandered back to the book Switch and Heaths’ guidance to follow the bright spots. Of course by “bright spots”, the authors meant to look at the great parts of an organization, but in my situation my bright spots were the people that made my work and passions rewarding.
Relying on Others is Valuable but Creates Vulnerability
Everyone finds themselves in situations where their performance or reputation is dependent on the behavior or character of those around them. Some people, like supervisors, project managers, or event coordinators, find themselves in this vulnerable position more than others. As a result, being able to trust and predict behavior becomes valuable in their line of work. How to proceed when forced into working with difficult people can feel like a catch 22 with no escape. These people usually come in the form of either customers or partners after a commitment has been made. Many times the best path is to simply get through the current situation and then part ways after the fact – in this situation that I recommend focusing on the bright people.
Combatting Difficult Interactions with Attention to Positive Ones
Difficult people can ruin your day, leave you wondering why you try so hard, and thrust you into a viscous cycle of rumination. Because of human nature’s tendency to remember the bad, these people overshadow all the positive people that you may have interacted with in your mind’s timeline. So instead focus on the bright people as you go about your day. Actively focusing on your interactions with the positive people that you trust and enjoy working with will create positive memories to help balance any negatives. Afterwards, when you find yourself ruminating in certain difficult people in your day, remind yourself of the positive interactions with your bright people to squelch that negative feedback loop.
Spurred by recent challenges, I was pleased to find another application for concepts in the book Switch. If you’re interested learning a little more about the book, this is a great summary of Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard. There are some deep principles on managing change both personally and professionally and I recommend the book if you are the type to ramp up to a big life change. Thanks for reading and please comment on this one! I’d love to hear your thoughts on bright spots and working well with challenging personalities.
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Crystal, this is a great post! Lots of interesting ideas to think about when working with others.
Wow! Great stuff Crystal thank you!