Needless to say, gossip tremendously impacts the bottom line. Nurturing a no-gossip culture raises trust and the morale instantly it also elevates communication, team performance and relationships, patient experience and the bottom line! This is big stuff and plenty of reasons to adopt a no-gossip culture! So if you are ready to nurture a no-gossip culture continue reading!
The first step is to have a team meeting to discuss and define gossip. Establish the definition of gossip as anything that is negative about another person that would make othere think less of them; or private that they do not want others to know. Venting or blowing off steam is not okay and is considered gossip. Good qualifiers to ask yourself are:
* Is what I am about to say true?
* Is it harmful or hurtful?
* How would I feel if someone said something similar about me?
* How am I going to feel later if I say this? (or listen to this)
* Would it affect their level of trust and respect for me?
* Does gossiping honor my own personal values?
The second step is for the entire team to verbally commit to each other to support a no-gossip culture in words, attitude and actions. Which means they commit to stop gossiping and stop gossipers. Have the team agree on a word or a phrase that they will say if someone starts gossiping to them. Some of my clients use the word peace (in other words keep the peace) or stop or please go to the source or even remember we said we weren't going to gossip. It can be anything as long as everyone knows the specific words or phrase.
The third step is to actually take action! If you have a suggestion, question or concern go directly to the source instead of going to others. Say the word or phrase immediately when someone starts gossiping. It is also our responsibility to try to stop gossip even if we just happen to be in a location where several other people are gossiping. In a respectful manner ask them to stop by using the word or phrase and if necessary reinforce how toxic gossip is to the team and the practice. Old habits die hard so it will be necessary for the team to support each other with supportive reminders that they committed to honor a no-gossip culture.
The fourth step is create consequences for gossip. I want to be very clear regarding consequences. Consequences aren't necessary if a simple reminder from a co-worker stops the gossip. It is only when the gossiper refuses to stop gossiping after they have been asked to stop. It is important to have defined consequences for gossip just like any other culture standard. Spell out specific step-by-step process for number of verbal and written warnings before termination. Yes, gossip is a big enough reason to terminate!
We can successfully achieve and sustain a no-gossip culture when every team member commits in words, actions and attitude to support a no-gossip culture! The bottom line is that when we support a no-gossip culture we raise the level of communication, team performance and relationships, patient experience and even the bottom line!
Contact Judy Kay at JudyKay@PracticeSolutionsInc.net today if you would like to learn how she can help you build a cohesive team that support each other and the practice, become better leaders, and deliver service with more passion!
