Thank you to everyone who attended my Drag News Expo Seminar!

Thank you to everyone who attended my Drag News Expo Seminar in Chicago or stopped by the Tuff Paw Aluminum Products booth. It was wonderful to get to talk to so many racers that read my articles in Drag News Magazine or have purchased my products. I appreciate getting to meet the racers and also I appreciate your ideas, questions, and suggestions.

One of the many very good questions I received from a racer was about a negative crew member. Many of my seminars and articles emphasize the importance of positive self-talk and good team communication, so this racer wanted to know what to do about one crew member who was constantly saying negative things. Well, this is not an easy issue to deal with in racing or in life in general, but here are some of my suggestions. First, try to talk with this person one on one at a relaxed time (not at the track and not in front of other people). Second, try to use what psychologists call the sandwich approach when talking with people. Start with something positive, put in the specific concern or issue, and end on a positive note. Say something like, I know how much you like being part of the team and I appreciate so much of what you bring to the table. However, sometimes when you say negative things like "don't redlight!" "we can't win" "that guy is way better than us" or "we suck!" it really brings the rest of the team down and is hard on me as the driver. I know that we both want what is best for the team and I hope we can work on this together. Third, maybe the person isn't aware of what they do, so try to give one or two very specific examples. Fourth, don't overwhelm the person with too much to change, try to focus on one specific issue. Fifth, tell the rest of the team that they need to also work on either ignoring this person or saying things like, "that negativity isn't helping anybody!" And finally, remember you can really only control you and the way you react to other people and it really hard to change other people.

Great Question, thanks for asking and again thanks for attending my seminar or visiting with me at the TuffPaw aluminum trailer and racing products.