The difference between negativity and telling the truth

A couple of years ago the IT department where I work was given a software package and told to make it work. The software was garbage. During training at the company's own facilities it would crash with only a couple of people using it. It didn't do what the salespeople said and it couldn't be made to do what the salespeople said.

So the software was garbage and I said so, several times. I was told I was being negative and was taken to task by several managers. Much to my relief I was kicked off the project. After several million dollars were spent the software was quietly canned because it couldn't be made to work.

Many of the classic management books say you must have a positive attitude and instill in your people a positive attitude. I have no real problem with this statement but some managers feel that a positive attitude is more important than recognizing reality and this I have a problem with. A positive attitude will not make garbage software better. A positive attitude will not stop a train wreck.

Keeping a positive attitude does not mean you have to ignore reality. People who say negative things may not have a negative attitude, they might just be aware that the reality of the situation is negative and are willing to point it out. Punishing people who point out reality is counterproductive. You need people who are willing to speak out and not meekly follow the crowd over the cliff.

My points here are:

• There is a difference between being negative and telling the truth.
• A positive attitude will not fix a problem.
• A negative attitude will not fix a problem.
• Recognizing reality and that a problem exists is the first step to fixing a problem.
• Punishing people who try to get you to recognize a problem is counter productive.