In much the same way as great organisational cultures build strong businesses, negative cultures can stifle and destroy them. Bad-mouthing is one common toxic way that culture is destroyed in businesses.
I had a call from a junior staff member about a topic worth exploring: ‘Office Murmuring’.
Nothing destroys morale faster than a negative leader or person in a position of influence. The truth is that staff generally want to look up to their superiors, for wisdom, guidance and leadership. Once that leader starts spreading rumours, bad-mouths others or even offers innuendos seemingly innocently, this can lead to immediate disrespect and distrust from their subordinates.
If they can say that to me about someone else, what are they saying about me?
The solution is not a simple one, especially if the toxic person has been there for a while and they hold a position of power either through experience, technical ability or critical relationships.
Recognising there is a problem is the first step; doing something about it to change the culture is the next. For many business owners, confronting the situation is difficult. Having that “courageous conversation” with the person may not have worked in the past; if they go down the “performance management” path the fear is that they leave, which may in turn have further negative effects on the business. The reality is that often a swift exit of the staff member is the only true way to remove the sore. It may bleed for a bit, but it will heal quicker than letting it fester on. (Obviously the correct HR processes would need to be followed.)
The leader of any organisation has to learn to balance the boundary between friendly and familiar and never, ever cross it. Once you do, coming back is nigh impossible. Often we have to restructure a business, taking out the bad and bringing in the new to bring about positive change in both people and profits. Yes, it may hurt for a bit but you look back from a position of success and say “wow I should’ve done that sooner”. As a previous boss of mine used to say; “hire slow, fire fast”. Not easy these days with all the HR processes that need to be followed, but it can be done with specialist guidance – and can avoid a whole lot of heartache and enormous cost with PG’s or court issues.
In short, deal with negative people head on – and if they aren’t willing to change, then change them and do it quickly, with consideration.