If Will Bowen had his way, there would be an 11th commandment: Thou shall not complain.

The Kansas City minister, who will be speaking in Toronto this month, has been working almost non-stop since the summer of 2006, when he passed out purple elastic wristbands to his congregation, challenging them to try and go 21 days without whining, grumbling or - the biggest sin - sarcasm.

The purple bracelets would serve as a reminder of their promise. If someone slips up and starts to grumble, they are supposed to take the band off their wrist and switch it to the opposite arm.

"It was originally part of a sermon I did on prosperity," he said in a recent interview with Business Edge. "People spend too much time focusing on what they don't have rather than what they could have. More effort should be put into resolving the issues and seeking compromise and understanding."

Will Bowen

Bowen adds family and friends are asked to remind the person about the deal if they begin to even mutter under their breath.

"It's not just another bracelet to support a cause. This is to help you go at least 21 days without complaining," he says. "That way, it can start to become a habit and lead the way to a better, complaint-free world."

But that could be a tough task for some. Bowen says that from getting cut off in traffic during the morning commute to attending extra-long meetings, the average person complains about 20 to 30 times a day.

"It's not about just shutting up and dealing with it, either. If you are speaking directly with the person who can resolve the issue, that's not a complaint. You also need to offer your own solutions on how to deal with the challenge."

So how did Bowen do at curbing his own complaining ways? The pastor admits after several failed attempts, it took him two months to reach his goal. He says it's still realistic to achieve, however.

Almost immediately after the sermon, Bowen started to get international attention for his cause. He was invited on the Oprah Winfrey Show and was featured in a photo spread in People magazine. Requests for purple bracelets started to pile in from all over the world.

An internationally best-selling book was eventually published with an accompanying DVD. Schools have even contacted Bowen about helping to develop a complaint-free curriculum. One shipment of bracelets went out to a group of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

"Since then, we've filled orders for about six million bracelets from 106 countries. It's taken off well beyond our expectations," he says.

One of the most unusual requests came from Georgia-based insurance giant Aflac, known for its duck mascot. But the company didn't want complaint-free wristbands for its workers - they ordered them for senior executives and managers.

"The idea was that managers should set an example, and then if that worked, it would filter down to all their other employees.

Apparently, it went really well for morale and ultimately, productivity," he says.

Bowen could be facing his toughest audience yet this month as he heads to the recession-weary streets of Toronto, where thousands of people have been laid off in recent months. He's scheduled as a guest speaker at the annual Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) conference.

Bowen's session, Creating a Complaint-Free Organization: How to Stop the Complaining and Start Building Co-Operation, kicks off the conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with a 7 a.m. early-bird session on Jan. 28, just as most delegates are having their first cup of coffee.

"I've spoken to Fortune 20 companies and senior executives all over. People need to focus on the 'what can be' rather than 'what is,' " he says. "You need to begin with the desired end in mind. Create a vision. For example, what would it be like if we increased our business by 30 percent?" Bowen says people also need to realize the economy is not ultimately responsible for their business - they are. "Take ownership of the situation and gain back control of what's happening."

About 6,000 people are expected at this year's conference from across Canada and abroad, HRPA CEO Bill Greenhalgh said in an interview.

Another 400 academic papers are scheduled for presentation.

"This year, certainly, the economy is a big issue we will be discussing," Greenhalgh says. "Demographics is another major topic, with all the Baby Boomers getting close to retirement."

Despite all the issues, it's more important than ever for human-resources professionals to create and foster positive workplace environments, he adds.

One of the conference's keynote speakers is urban development guru Richard Florida, who is scheduled to speak on "Managing Talent in the Creative Era.”

It's not known, however, if Florida will drop any hints about what's in his upcoming $2.2-million report on Ontario's economic future.

Premier Dalton McGuinty asked Florida last year to team up with Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Business, and report on what Ontario can do to ensure long-term economic success. The report is expected to be delivered in February.

Nora Spinks, president and founder of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises in Toronto, said Bowen's complaint-free message is interesting.

"It's a noble cause for sure, but it could be difficult," she says. "When you have any situation where there is a great deal of unpredictability and change, people could be reluctant to come forward at all with anything. That's a time when you need open lines of communication more than ever.

"It's not really about complaining. It's about problem resolution in a constructive way. It's about creating environments that are civil and respectful of all the participants. These are times when you need to set up a mechanism where people can feel safe and secure."

Web watch: www.acomplaintfreeworld.org www.hrpa.ca

www.worklifeharmony.ca (David Hatton can be reached at hatton@businessedge.ca)