I was watching the 60 Minutes interview with Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon. I was interested in the segment because of the possibility of "drone delivery" in about 30 minutes. After watching the segment I am convinced they can deliver books in 30 minutes better than Dominos used to deliver a pizza.
While watching the interview something Jeff Bezos said caught my attention. Charlie Rose was talking to him about the ability for Amazon to disrupt the old way of buying books because their margins are so small they could drive people out of business. Bezos said this, "You know, people can complain about that, but complaining is not a strategy."
Immediately I looked for something to write that quote down: "Complaining is not a strategy."
The first thing I thought of were all the complaints I hear from people in "the church world." Most people who complain offer no alternative, they use the power of the complaint to get their way. When you give in, guess what they do next? They find something else to complain about until they get their way. Complaining can be a strategy, if leaders give into the complaint.
Next I thought about myself. How often do I complain about something? More often than I would like to admit. But Bezos challenged me in that one statement, because he is right, "Complaining is not a strategy." When he said that I thought of Amazon's competitors. His statement was either going to make them mad so they complain harder or it was going to challenge them to get better. It was almost like he was saying, "Come on, don't complain, compete. Because healthy competition brings out the best in people."
So, I should not complain about things not going my way. I should see it as a challenge to do things better. I should see it as an opportunity to plan a strategy to get better and create a movement that makes a higher impact in the world.
For those who always complain let this be a challenge to you "STOP IT!" (I need to hear this as much as anybody. Just ask Rhonda. She says something to me all the time when I say something to a ref at a basketball game.)
For those who lead others, here is you challenge "STOP IT!" Stop letting people who complain change the direction of your God given vision and values. A lot of great movements have come to a halt because a leader let complaining become a strategy in their organization.
Disclaimer: It is not complaining when you stand up for something that is right. The difference is when you look at your motivation. Is it motivated by narrowly focusing on one's self or is it motivated by pointing out something that could be destructive to the culture? Constructive criticism is not complaining.
