Q. My friend has a negative attitude toward her work. She constantly complains about her job. Do you have any tips that may allow me to improve her negative attitude?

A. Maintaining a positive atmosphere at work requires constant attention. Dealing with people who do negative things or communicate from a negative point of view is not easy. Many times we allow our own attitude to be affected by someone else's behavior. Here are some tips for you to try to improve the negative attitude of your co-worker.

1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain. Hearing you speak negatively about a situation may cause a co-worker to do the same, so try to stay positive.

2. Never say "you're wrong." Instead, try to call attention to people's mistakes indirectly; people are more open to accepting this form of feedback.

3. Smile. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope — and your co-worker should follow.

4. If you are wrong, admit it quickly. Talk about your own mistakes. This will alleviate the negative thoughts others associated with making mistakes.

5. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view. Step away from a situation and realize the way you perceive it may not be the only way, and may not be the right way.

Michael Crom is executive vice president of Dale Carnegie Training. He writes this column for Gannett News Service.