Don’t Dis Gruntling
Got disgruntled emloyees?
I love this definition of the word disgruntled: in a state of sulky dissatisfaction. Which raises the question, “How did they get that way?” A consultation with the trusty Oxford English Dictionary revealed that the origin of the word disgruntled probably has something to do with the grunts made by pigs. Pigs gruntle. The word is synonymous with grumble.
In order to be dis-gruntled, people need to have their gruntling (grumbling) dissed. They can’t get disgruntled on their own. So if you want to avoid having disgruntled employees, you have to avoid dissing their gruntling. In other words, you have to treat their grumbling (sometimes dissed as whining or grouchiness) with some measure of care.
If you do dis people’s gruntling, they may turn into real pigs, gruntling on and on and on, and your job then becomes that of a pig-herd.
This post was inspired by another at Don Blohowiak’s blog Leadership Now.
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◊ Filed in: Organization Change | Leadership & Commitment
