“But more importantly, I have a rule: no complaining about a situation unless you’re prepared to do something to make it better. If you see a problem and you don’t come to the table with a potential solution, I don’t want to hear your whining about how bad it is. It couldn’t be that bad if it hasn’t motivated you to try to fix it.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
This quote comes from Arnold’s book “Be Useful,” which I found inspirational and grounded in practical wisdom and advice. I typically don’t read books by celebrities, but I picked this one up on the advice of a friend and am so glad I did. (Another great book by a celebrity is “Surrender” by Bono, specifically the audiobook version because Bono does the reading, and they weave in U2 songs for each chapter)
Arnold’s approach is powerful from both a self-leadership and team-leadership perspective. Do you allow whining about a situation to cloud your ability to find a solution? Do you let your team members bring you problems so you can be the hero and solve them? Can you install a simple rule like Arnold’s for yourself and your team?
“No complaining about a situation unless you’re prepared to do something to make it better.”
This is a great rule for life. Can you live it today?
