In business and in our personal lives, we often encounter people who I previously referred to as suffering from one of the worst STD’s you can catch – Small Town Disease. For review, small town disease is an affliction which symptoms are repetitive droid-like behavior, a shortage mentality and commentary that reflects 2-dimensional or small-minded thinking.
Not all residents of small towns suffer from Small Town Disease, and Small Town Disease also isn’t limited to just small towns.
Here are some comments I’ve heard that reflect people suffering from Small Town Disease:
1. That’s too far – often spoken by people who live in one part of New York City who don’t want to go more than 5 blocks outside of their neighborhood, or people who live on one side of a bridge and don’t want to cross too the other. Instead of making this comment, surprise others by making the effort to go outside your “neighborhood”
2. What are you doing here? – a comment spoken when people are surprised to see someone in their town or venue when they live far away. Instead of making this comment, how about saying “Great to see you!”
3. Good for you. – I hate this compliment more than I hate insults. Good for you always seem to sound condescending.
