BOOK BITS: Don't Complain Like a Quacking Duck; Be Like An Eagle & Rise Above

      Cordell Parvin, my lawyer coach, advised me to read the book RAVING FANS: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service, by Kenneth Blanchard and Sheldon M. Bowles.  It was an easy read over Christmas.  For as long as I can remember, when I have ever read books, I highlight parts I might want to read again (usually with scribbles from a pen or highlighter).  I used to type in the quotes into a MSWord document for future reference.  I have an electronic library of these "book files".   (Yes- I know I am a dork).Now with Twitter, I have been sending out Tweets of my favorite excerpts of the various books I have been reading, including Raving Fans.   Just check out my recent Twitter Feed.  This excerpt really resonates and I wanted to share with my business clients and colleagues:"Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd." -RAVING FANS, p. 82          In our workplaces, sometimes the case, client, or colleague will drive you bonkers.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.   I once read that 45% of workers in the American workforce hate their job.  This is disconcerting.Trust me, I have had intermittent periods of gloom and doom in the course of my legal and consulting career.   During that time, it all just seemed like quack, quack, quacking.  Then at other times, I blare my Alicia Keyes, Girl of Fire song, and feel like an eagle.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J91ti_MpdHALike Blanchard and Bowles suggest, don't waste your energy complaining.   How can you differentiate? How can you rise above?