By Dr. Emily Watson<\/b><\/p>\n
Second of three parts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the type of problems that emerge in a workplace where gossip, drama, and negativity get out of hand, making life more difficult for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n If not handled in a timely manner, these problems will persist and lead to a toxic work culture, causing the best employees to flee in search of a better situation.<\/span><\/p>\n The good news is there are solutions that can be put into play that will help improve the work culture, which at times will mean parting ways with those who can\u2019t accept that you have zero tolerance for those behaviors.<\/span><\/p>\n Being Clear is Kind<\/b><\/p>\n At Warsaw Orthodontics, we have our own book club and one of our recent books was <\/span>Dare to Lead <\/span><\/i>by Dr. <\/span>Bren\u00e9<\/span> Brown. Dr. Brown says something that is relevant to this conversation\u2013\u2013that being clear is kind, and that being unclear is unkind.<\/span><\/p>\n What does she mean by this? Sometimes we need to have difficult conversations with each other to get past problems that could end up lingering if we don\u2019t. If I am your co-worker and I tell you that all is well between us and I have no problem with something you have said or done, but then I gossip about you behind your back, I am not being kind.<\/span><\/p>\n As Brene Brown points out, sometimes we are hesitant to have those difficult conversations because we worry about hurting someone\u2019s feelings, or we don\u2019t like the fact that the conversation will make us uncomfortable.<\/span><\/p>\n So we aren\u2019t clear with the other person and a problem that needs to be resolved continues to be a problem\u2013\u2013and likely grows bigger and bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n This is where one of the solutions comes in: Have that conversation and find a way to resolve whatever the problem might be between the two of you. In many cases it turns out that the other person doesn\u2019t even know you had an issue with them. We often play out a worst-case scenario in our minds, but when you let them know how they made you feel, they are likely to say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I had no idea you felt that way.\u201d\u00a0 With any luck, what you thought was going to be a huge confrontation can be over with quickly and you can move on.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, not everything is resolved so easily. A consultant I use says that sometimes level 2 coaching is needed, which means that the two individuals can\u2019t resolve their disagreement on their own, so a mediator is required.<\/span><\/p>\n At Warsaw Orthodontics, that mediator may be me or it may be our consultants who are trained in knowing and understanding the Gallup Strengths. I must admit it\u2019s not a position I\u2019m always comfortable with. We do these strength assessments for everyone on our team, and one of my top strengths is harmony, which sounds wonderful and it is. But people with harmony as a strength often prefer to avoid conflict, which is tough to do when you are being a mediator.<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately, another trait of people with the strength of harmony is that they like to find consensus. In many cases, when there is conflict, I am able to say to the two people involved, \u201cCan we agree that \u2026?\u201d, and then I fill in the blank with something I believe we can have a meeting of the minds on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4 More Tips for Achieving the Goal<\/b><\/p>\n As you can see, creating a culture where gossip, drama, and negativity are not tolerated won\u2019t happen without effort on your part\u2013\u2013and effort on your team\u2019s part as well. To achieve it, here are a few other things that can be done:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Much of this comes down to two important factors that need to be emphasized\u2013\u2013communication with each other and respect for each other.<\/span><\/p>\n In the third part of this three-part series, I will discuss the results of introducing a zero-tolerance culture, and how doing so ultimately led to a better team.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Dr. Emily Watson Second of three parts In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the type of problems that emerge in a workplace where gossip, drama, and negativity get out of hand, making life more difficult for everyone. If not handled in a timely manner, these problems will persist and lead to a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n