We all know that happiness and satisfaction have a lot to do with perspective. If a person chooses to only see the mistakes, the failures, and the negative aspects of the world around them, they will be unsurprisingly full of gloom and bitterness.

Those who strive to focus on the positive aspects of their life and see the “silver lining” even in bad situations tend to be much happier and less stressed than their pessimistic counterparts. This same logic applies in the workplace as well.

The following are five negative mindsets that could be hindering your success and joy within your professional career.

Overgeneralizing

This is a common trap people fall into by using words like “always” and “never”. “He is always late for work” or “she never meets project deadlines” may be common accusations heard around the office, but these exaggerations actually undermine the criticism and hurt its legitimacy. Instead of using broad phrases, management should always strive to be very specific, especially when giving critical feedback.

Noting that an employee has been late three times in ten days is specific and tangible. While this is an issue that likely needs to be addressed, it is important to avoid hyperbolic statements like the ones above. Setting reasonable and measurable goals, whether for growth or corrective action, is also important.

Negative Filtering

Normally, if an employee receives a performance review with three ‘excellent’ ratings and one ‘needs improvement’ rating, the overall impression should feel pretty positive. However, if they have fallen victim to negative filtering, they will perceive this review as a total failure. This mindset functions much like an inverse confirmation bias, where the individual ignores any positive feedback and instead only really hears and internalizes negative input.

Leadership can directly contribute to the spread of this mindset if they only focus on addressing errors and pointing out mistakes. This is why it is important for management to acknowledge where the business is succeeding and to celebrate victories and milestones when they occur.

Exempting

This mindset occurs when we believe the rules or expectations do not apply equally to ourselves as they do everyone else. While most individuals are not so bold to admit this outright, many fall into this trap in more subtle ways. Thoughts such as “it’s okay if I’m a little late, the boss loves me” or “they won’t lay me off, no one on my team can do what I do” are examples of this type of thinking.

This can be especially destructive if the person or people who believe the rules don’t apply to them are in management. Good leaders know that you must lead by example. Demonstrating character and role modeling positive behaviors raises the bar for others within the organization.

Catastrophizing

An individual with this mindset is not only incapable of seeing the positive aspects of their circumstances, but will often draw irrational conclusions or grossly overreact to mistakes and errors.

For example, they might conclude that by not passing a test, they will ultimately fail the whole class, be unable to graduate, never obtain a degree, and, therefore, be left completely unemployable. When faced with this type of mentality, it is important to keep things in context and create a more balanced, honest picture of the circumstances.

It is also recommended that limiting exposure to news media and social media may be helpful as these outlets tend to fan the flames of panic rather than douse them.

Labeling

When we assign attributes to ourselves or others, instead of citing actions or specific incidents, we are guilty of this mental trap. For example, saying things like “I am such a failure” or “he’s just lazy” can be brutal and it leaves little room for potential growth. Instead, it is usually better to focus on actions and measurable results.

Leadership should feel comfortable discussing things like metrics, productivity, learning opportunities, and areas for improvement, and avoid using personal labels whenever possible. This helps to make critical feedback seem less personal and helps to minimize prejudicial thinking in the future, both internally and externally.

Conclusion

The fields of modern psychology and communication have taught us that how we speak to others and ourselves can have a profound impact on the quality of our lives. While not all of them are listed in this article, recognizing which negative mindsets we are most susceptible to personally presents a great opportunity for future development.

Fostering a positive, growth mindset is key to unlocking our own potential and drawing out the best from those around us. Every rainbow is born as the result of a storm.