Lose the Gossip

Gossip doesn't do anybody any good, and does plenty of ill for your workplace. Careers get damaged, teams get wrecked, and people's attention gets diverted from their work. For Creatives, who really need to be thinking about what they're doing, gossip gets pretty distracting.

You may think it's fun to go to the person with "the dish" and see what's up, but remember, anyone who gossips TO you will gossip ABOUT you.

The first step in limiting gossip is to create a culture of mutual respect. Discuss this with employees, emphasizing the positive atmosphere of your workplace and the benefits of working with people you respect. Don't present it as "be nice or you'll get fired" but instead put it in a positive light.

Be sure, of course, that if you're talking that talk, you're walking that walk. Don't be publicly negative, try not to criticize people in front of others, and don't be a gossip yourself.

If you have an employee who's spreading gossip, step in and make the point that it's unprofessional. You don't need to do it in a harsh way, you could even try to make a little joke about it, but get the message across that it's unprofessional. Let them know that nothing hurts your workplace quite like employees who act like they're 12 years old. Anything that makes them think about what they're doing should help.

If it doesn't stop then pull them aside one-on-one and be more direct. You don't have to be threatening, but let them know they're disrupting the organization.

If they still don't stop, then consider if you can let them go. As a leader you don't need to give people an infinite number of chances...once you counsel them directly on their conduct then they know what's right and what isn't. At the same time, you need to consider the uniqueness of your Creative's skills and balance the problems they're causing with the benefits they bring to your organization.

An important thing to keep in mind is that you should never make personnel decisions based on gossip. If you hear "so-and-so said..." don't just take that at face value. be sure to get all sides of the story.

Working with a bunch of outgoing Creatives can be a great thing. Just make sure that outgoing-ness is used for good, not evil.