“Being a critic is much easier than being a leader since it requires no sacrifice or results to qualify.” – Orrin Woodward
Where do you rank on the complaining scale? Do you complain about a problem or contribute to its solution?
Knowing there is a problem is one thing—awareness is helpful—but addressing the problem, well, that’s something else.
Which is why there are more critics than leaders.
The former is convenient and easy; the latter more complex and time-consuming.
And let us not confuse complaining with speaking up. Speaking up means naming a concern. Complaining means repeating that concern ad naseum without offering, or acting on, a solution.
Effectively expressing a concern, whether it be with your teenager, your best friend, or your team at the office, means backing up your observation of the “problem” with a suggestion for how to resolve it.
The issue is, a lot of people hold others responsible for the things they deem problematic, and expect them to do something about it to make the problem go away.
Doesn’t work that way, not well, anyway, and certainly not long-term.
You don’t get to complain about anything until you’re prepared to do something.
Until you have skin in the game there’s no sacrifice.
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