What Does Gossip & Top Talent Have in Common

Is your company losing top talent? Today we are talking about two of the main culprits that also happen to top my personal list of most hated things: gossip and drama.

As you probably already know, there are a lot of people in this world that love to gossip and seem to thrive in drama.  If that comes as a surprise to you, let me know where you’re living.  I might just move there. 

All jokes aside, there are times when I find myself getting caught up in gossip. It’s sneaky.  A topic comes up that entices me and I feel like I have to know more.  In those moments, it’s important that I step back and ask myself, “How might this conversation affect the person we are discussing and our company?” Today we’ll define what gossip is and show how it produces drama.  Then we’ll talk about what you need to do to keep both of them out of your culture.

The talent within your company isn't coming to work for gossip and drama.  They want to show their skills, provide for their families and grow in their careers.  A company is not a place to cultivate drama, and top performers will leave if an environment is toxic.

So what IS gossip? Gossip occurs when someone talks to someone else about something about which they can do nothing. It plays out like this.  Someone goes to their coworker to complain about another coworker while they aren’t present.  Neither person has any power to do anything about it so it’s entirely unproductive.  That’s gossip.  Now if that original person went to their supervisor with their concerns, it wouldn’t be gossip because their supervisor has the ability to do something about the situation.

Gossip isn’t always untrue. In fact, a lot of the time, truthful gossip spreads even faster. If it is a situation that needs to be handled, it can be shared with someone in a higher position. At our company, we strive for a community mindset. We avoid speaking poorly of other salons in the community.  It’s simply not productive.  It doesn’t help us get to where we want to go, so why waste that time?

We once had someone come into our salon for a day of shadowing.  It’s part of our hiring process and gives the potential employee a chance to see what it’s really like working within our company. As she spent time in the break room, we noticed she was speaking very poorly about her current employer.  I once read an article that said gossip is related to our desire to be seen positively by others and fit in socially.  We knew she was doing it to try to fit in and “bond” with our other employees, but all it was doing was creating unnecessary drama.

We know what gossip is and why it happens. We recognize the drama it causes, but how do we deal with it? First, we have to commit to addressing it immediately. When you hear drama, attack it then! When someone comes to me with drama, the first question I ask is, “What did they say to you?”  After that, I follow up with, “And what did you say to them when you talked to them about it?” In asking those questions, I’m creating a culture where I encourage people to have tough conversations in order to eliminate gossip.

Putting out the fires isn’t the best use of my time.  It’s much better spent leading others to a place way where they won’t even want to start them. Our team knows that we have a no tolerance policy for gossip and drama. Why? Because top performers in any industry hate gossip and drama, and they will move on to greener pastures if it is not addressed. If gossip and drama ever tries to get started, our leaders know exactly what to do to stop it.

If you want to impart this value into your culture, you have to ask yourself, “When I hear gossip do I engage with it?” and then answer honestly.  If you do, you need to stop, apologize to your team for engaging with drama, and make it clear that gossip will not be tolerated in your company from this point forward.  Lead the way in having tough conversations and make sure your team knows that they are an essential part of a drama free culture. If things don’t get resolved, then you’ll need to bring all parties together to discuss the situation. Trust me, no one likes that, but when it comes to that, it can be really helpful.

To address gossip, you must be courageous and strong. It is never fun but it’s always necessary. You will lose your team’s respect if you don’t attack it head on. Your top leaders will leave if it doesn’t get under control. Remember, it is better to be respected than liked. Your leadership and your company will be better for it.