Wellness is close to my heart and, as an executive coach, I meet leaders in the corporate world navigating the constant demands of their positions. As if their offices were not challenging enough, office politics and gossip always seem to rear their ugly two-faced heads at the most inopportune times. Office politics and gossip have been so common that they have been normalised into most organisations' cultures. Yet even so, they result in many well-documented negatives: absenteeism, decrease in productivity levels, suffering team dynamics, to mention a few. It would seem, for leaders to eradicate this scourge to organisational culture, certain paradigm shifts are necessary.
During a recent consulting session at a well-known South African brand, a fascinating series of cringe-worthy events were shared in a rather tense coaching session. The project was a talent development Organisational Development intervention, and present with me at the session were identified senior execs, identified top talent and human resources. I walked into the room and immediately felt the tension.
The reason behind the tension was rather alarming. A senior exec was in line for a dazzling promotion. The CEO had asked HR to get the 'corridor talk' from the team and from other execs with the idea of knowing whether people thought the exec was ready. The HR, obviously looking to be liked, naively followed the instruction; she put together a detailed email of who said what and eagerly hit the 'send' button. Turns out, by mistake, she had sent it to everyone.
All those who gossiped, as well as the exec, received the email that morning, just before our session. Needless to say, the content of the email was graphic, and it would mean the promotion would be held back. None of this would have been revealed if it was not for the HR, who no doubt did this to please the CEO, and for whom I often wonder how her career turned out. Important to note however, is the destructive nature of office politics and gossip.
Gossip has been around for centuries, actually the word dates back as far as the 12th century. It's a human thing, a way we identify our 'tribe' and how we pay a social insurance of sorts. Author and Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, Nigel Nicholson says of gossip, that it "follows the same asymmetries as a monkey picking lice from another's fur; the weak [mostly] groom the strong... People supply information to whom they are attracted and with whom they wish to align themselves." Nicholson also says that office gossip plays into the idea of placing value in confidantes and how that translates to the formation of alliance. He says that passage of information strengthens alliances with the hope of providing stability to where we place in a social hierarchy. Nicholson is on point with this assertion. Although gossip seems an interpersonal issue, it very much relates to low self-esteem and as such, one should not take it personally if many people are generally targeted.
For the resilient leader, the issues of gossiping and office politics, while annoying, require a quick and pragmatic response. They work against a collegial working environment, which is what is necessary for talented staff to remain engaged. Office politics highlight unimportant issues, such as degree of 'like' between colleagues. This of course plays against successful teams for whom likeability is not vital but rather, a working alliance that delivers results. Following, are a few habits that can help manage the tricky nature of office politics and gossip:
G. A. Taylor Fernely of association management company Fernely & Fernley says that when recruiting, you must do your best to hire people who are stable and have a high EQ. People with a high EQ have healthy boundaries and high self-esteem and these are necessary to improve their capacity to handle drama (read office politics and gossip).
Don't pretend you have not heard the countless rumours in the corridors; it is your job as leader to address them. Resilient leaders live in reality; confront challenges deftly and with the most positive approach possible.
Understand the category, ascertain how serious it is? Are you dealing with some petty personal impression management or is the agenda more James Bond? A certain amount of gossip will be present in every organisation or any group of humans, but one can easily identify the tone and intention of the content. Is there an effort to damage a team member's reputation and potentially their credibility in the organisation? If yes then ask why, what is the pay off?
The serial gossiper goes about damaging careers and reputations of the team without flinching. But effective teams are not built on this. Rather, they are built on and by the people who deliver in their work through a brand of professionalism and trustworthiness. These two traits are priceless gems that can be easily destroyed by serial gossiping. So those who continue to seek to sabotage the good and damage others will not be trusted by the team. As a leader, the onus is on you to bring the gossipers in and call their bluff. When an effective and safe conversation is facilitated early and with the appropriate attendees, teams can get past most issues.
5. Practice what you preach, safeguard trust
As a resilient leader, you will model anti-gossiping in a profound way, when you seek out corridor talk and make business decisions based on such information, the scene is set for gossip to thrive. The team will gladly oblige and learn quickly that the role of Gossip Pimp brings many rewards, and ultimately the ear of the boss. Send a clear and consistent message that you don't deal in office politics and gossip.
People may not like it when you set the boundaries, but soon they will stop bringing office politics for you to adjudicate as you would have set healthier boundaries. Finally, build an anti-gossip policy into your values and provide support and skills to deal with it through your work place Wellness EAP programme.
And finally, pssst! Please keep this between you and me :)
