Problems can be a great thing. Really, that’s what most companies do — they solve problems for their clients. I’ve shared before that I want people to bring me problems, and I find people that can help uncover problems to be very valuable.
On the other hand you have people that complain, which is far less useful. In the book “The One Minute Manager“, the difference is summed up very well:
‘If you can’t tell me what you’d like to be happening,’ he said, ‘you don’t have a problem yet. You’re just complaining. A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to be happening.’
If you’re able to determine what you “desire to be happening”, you’re well on your way to solving the problem. If you’re just mad about a given situation, with no thought to what a better version of it might be, then that’s just complaining. Give me problems over complaints every time.
