A friend confided to me the other day that she had a long lunch date with an ex colleague – and wished she hadn’t. “Why did I do it?” she bemoaned. “I know he’s so negative. He just gets me down.”

It got me thinking. We all have choices in life – and sometimes we get it wrong! Some of us spend our lives trying to be all things to all people. But sometimes, especially in business, we have to remain focussed and look after No 1 – however difficult that might be. If we don’t look after ourselves, how can we take care of others? That means remaining positive and surrounding ourselves with people with a positive, can do, mind set.

In business, we can’t afford to be negative nor have negative people on our team. It could spread quickly and it will inevitably impact team synergy and motivation. So if you sense, hear or see negativity – deal with it!

That doesn’t mean taking a hatchet and losing hard-working, long-serving team members. But you do need to address it, and in a positive way. We are all individuals, each with our own strengths and by focusing on individuals’ strengths; you are instilling a positive mindset. Who doesn’t like doing what they do best and most enjoy? You will be encouraging them to take responsibility, setting them up for success, and eliminating negativity.

Coaching to each persons’ strengths gives them fresh confidence and a new direction– great at getting the best out of people. So make sure you have positive people around you; encourage their strengths, develop their skills and you’re on track for success.