An otherwise competent employee often complains about people in other departments who aren’t working hard enough, don’t come to the office enough, and take too much time off. He doesn’t realize that he also takes time off and can’t be working that hard if he has time to pay attention to what others are doing.
His manager has brought up this negative behavior and asked him to stop worrying about what others do. He seems to dismiss the feedback and refuses to change. The manager was at a loss as to how to reach him and asked me how I would get the employee’s attention.
I suggested that a parable or story can sometimes illustrate a point better than a direct conversation, and in the spur of the moment I came up with an example. It was about a chicken who laid more eggs than all the other chickens and was always complaining about who ate the most grain, who drank all the water and who spent more time clucking with others than laying eggs. She also criticized the rooster for not paying enough attention to the predators around their pens. Eventually, the chickens and rooster avoided her because of her negativity. One day, as she sat alone in the henhouse, griping to herself about the others, a fox snuck in and ate her!
A little dramatic, but not bad for a first effort. After our coaching session, I asked ChatGPT to give me a story illustrating the same points. In less than a minute, ChatGPT produced the following story that I titled The Grouchy Fox:
Once upon a time in a lush, green forest, there lived a clever but perpetually grumpy fox named Felix. Felix complained about everything: the chirping of the birds was too loud, the sun was too bright, and even the rustling leaves annoyed him. He often gathered a small group of animals around him to vent his frustrations.
One day, the cheerful squirrel named Sienna approached Felix, hoping to play. “Let’s climb the great oak tree and see the view!” she suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Felix scoffed. “Why bother? The view is overrated, and you’ll just tire yourself out for nothing. Plus, what if you fall?”
Sienna, undeterred, skipped away to invite the others. Soon, the wise owl, the playful chipmunks, and the colorful songbirds joined her in the oak tree. They laughed, sang, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.
Seeing them from below, Felix felt a twinge of jealousy that made him even grumpier. “You’ll regret it when the sun sets, and you’re stuck up there!” he shouted.
But the animals shrugged off Felix’s criticisms. Each day they would gather high up in the branches to revel in the beauty of the forest, sharing stories and laughter. And each day Felix grumbled and sulked as he watched the others enjoy their lives from a distance. The more he complained, the more isolated he became. The joyful laughter of the others seemed to echo in his ears, reminding him of the fun he was missing.
One afternoon, as the sun casts golden rays through the trees, Sienna invited Felix to join their gathering. “Come, Felix! We’re sharing stories and snacks!” she called.
“Why do you always make so much noise?” he asked. “You’ll scare all the other animals away!”
But Sienna smiled gently and replied, “We make noise because we’re happy, Felix. You’re welcome to join us, but if you keep complaining, it’ll be hard for us to enjoy ourselves.”
That struck a chord with Felix. He realized that his negativity not only pushed him away from others but also darkened their joy. In that moment, he decided to try something different. “I… I guess I could try to enjoy it too,” he admitted.
Slowly, as Felix listened to the stories and tasted the delicious snacks, he began to smile, feeling the warmth of companionship wash over him. He realized that when he focused on the good around him, the forest felt more like a safe and happy home.
From that day on, Felix made an effort to change. Though he still had moments of grumpiness, he learned to share more laughter than complaints. Felix discovered that his heart was much lighter when he chose to embrace positivity.
And so, the animals thrived together, knowing that the true beauty of the forest shone brightest when they shared it with love and laughter.
Moral: Complaining can isolate you, while choosing to appreciate the good around you can open your heart to joy and connection.
People are using generative artificial intelligence in many surprising ways. I find it most helpful as a springboard to thinking more creatively about a problem and stimulate ideas. I certainly don’t think AI can replace thoughtful coaching, but it can offer coaches another tool to help our clients. Next time you aren’t getting through to someone, see if you can use AI to develop a story specifically tailored to resonate with that person. Hmm . . . I wonder what I’d get if I asked ChatGPT to turn Felix’s encounter in the forest into a horror story . . .