The Art of Complaining

Complaining can be therapeutic, or a drag. It can be frustrating if no one’s listening to you, or it can be annoying if you’re the one being complained to unnecessarily. But sometimes what we dub “complaining” is necessary, like when it comes to giving constructive criticism or righting a wrong. It’s important to know when complaining is necessary or not, and how you can master the art of complaining gracefully. Dr. Amy Cooper Hakim is an author, public speaker, and psychologist. She is the executive consultant and founder of The Cooper Strategic Group, where she works with organizations to help employees get along better and improve morale. She is also the co-author of Working with Difficult People.