The Eeyore Mentality Can Stymie Performance Improvement

In the work place, you will often interface with an array of personalities. In most cases, this diversity brings strength and stimulation to the work place environment. However, if you are a quality professional in a hospital, you must be watchful and aware of one personality in particular. . . . .the Eeyore.

Using industry jargon, we refer to these individuals as "late adopters" or "non-believers." Anywhere you find pivot points for change, there will be those that want to move forward and those few that remain fixed upon "what can go wrong," "it will not be successful," and "it takes to much of my time," and "we have always done it this way, why change."

You might think that these individuals can be conveniently isolated from the continuous improvement town hall. How untrue, my friends.

In practice, if we apply the Pareto Principle, the 20% can have a meaningful and stymieing impact on the remaining 80%. The quality professional must be able to interact effectively with Eeyores and diligently work to dilute the mentality's toxicity. For if unchecked, it can spread.

Organizations that are successful posssess a culture that appropriately curbs the doom and gloom while promoting the positive and productive elements of the Eeyore Mentality.

A Description of Eeyore's character traits:

• Eeyore is a favorite amongst most admirers of Winnie the Pooh characters and he is a lovable donkey who is dismally gloomy for almost eternity. But that’s not Eeyore’s perception of himself, according to him; he doesn’t expect too much of himself and therefore remains quiet for most of the time. That in no ways means he isn’t an intelligent animal, he is actually quite knowledgeable yet he confines his knowledge to himself. This is the reason why he is very quiet most of the time and a bit depressed. Eeyore, a very gloomy, blue-gray donkey, is stuffed with sawdust. His appearance is highlighted by a small light pink bow on his tail; this reflects well on this animal when there is an occasional hint of joy that surfaces in Eeyore.