Yesterday I had the privilege of sitting in a room with 50 people listening to the story of W Mitchell’s life. July 19, 2006 marks the anniversary of one of the events that changed him forever. You see, 35 years ago, Mitchell became a human fire ball when his brand new Honda 750 motorcycle collided with a truck in San Francisco. He was doused with two and a half gallons of gasoline before it ignited, burning him horribly. 65% of his body was burned with only remnants of fingers and much of his face gone.
Mitchell’s tragic story doesn’t end there, because a few years later, while flying a plane, he crashed. Fearing another fire, he told his three passengers to get out, immediately. They did, but he couldn’t move. While that crash left him paralysed, his spirit is anything but.
To almost total silence – other than our laughter from his great wit – he left us all with the message “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it”, which happens to be the title of his book. Afterwards, it became clear from the people I spoke to, that his message was as powerful for them as it was for me.
Cycling back to my office (yes, I know) I started thinking about the relevance his message has in the line of work I’m asked to deal with. I hear horrendous stories of verbal abuse for employees at all levels. Some of it is sexual and racial harassment. Others involve bullying, devoid of human rights protections. And of course, some cases go beyond verbal abuse and involve inappropriate touching or worse.
Of course, not everything is horrendous, and there are many more examples of just plain, disrespectful behaviour that none of us should have to endure at work (or anywhere for that matter).
I’ve said many times, “when something goes wrong in a work situation, we have 3 choices: put up with the status quo; make positive change; or quit.” That’s it. And it applies to so many workplace situations.
Quitting may be the easiest way out. And quitting doesn’t have to mean leaving the workplace completely. It might mean transferring to a different department or moving to another office, still within the same organization. And I understand when people want to put up with the status quo, fearing that it will only get worse if attempts are made to improve things. However, people tire of listening to someone who just whines, unwilling to do anything productive.
So if we want to make positive change, it’s up to us to do something about it. After all, it’s not a revolution we’re seeking. The revolution took place years ago as our ancestors fought – sometimes with their lives – for the freedoms, protections and laws that we have today in Canada. And in many workplaces, we aren’t alone.
There are departments, such as Human Resources or Human Rights, dedicated to helping people with workplace issues. If there is a union or employee association, there are people who are expected to work on behalf of their members. Yet sometimes that’s not enough and we’re faced with the difficult decision of creating positive change on our own.
But that’s not always going to feel comfortable.
We were lucky yesterday, because not only did we get to hear from W Mitchell, but his friend, Scott Friedman, Past President of the U.S. National Speakers Association, also spoke to us about humour. And he said, “Comfort never produced greatness.” I agree. If we only act on things that put us in our comfort zone, we will likely not make the positive change we deserve.
So, take that deep breath, or count to 10, or start sweating profusely, but do something that will make positive change.
It’s summer, so I don’t want to get too heavy, but I’ll leave you with one last thing. When Mitchell spoke, I felt like I got a 2-for-1 special, because he told us what his friend, Tony Robbins, has to say when things go badly. Mitchell played with us a bit, suggesting we take notes because we might not remember this important bit of information.
Pen in hand, I was poised to write down the wisdom he was about to give us, when Mitchell said “Next.” We were told that when something bad happens, Tony Robbins says, “next” and moves on. While I was writing this newsletter, my friend, Steven, who sat next to me during yesterday’s event, told me that he had already written down “Next” on his fridge. He beat me to it.
As soon as I get done sending this to you, I’m going to write down “Next” on my office wall and remember it the next time I think things haven’t gone my way. Oh, and that will be right under, “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it.”
Stephen
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Stephen Hammond, B.A, LL.B, CSP, is a speaker, trainer and author working in the field of workplace human rights. Articles, tips and his books Managing Human Rights At Work: 101 Practical Tips to Prevent Human Rights Disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world are available on his website www.stephenhammond.ca. Contact Stephen at 866-685-8338 or stephen@stephenhammond.ca
