Office Politics Are Destroying Your Culture

Creating the right culture and sustaining it is hard enough. Allowing office politics to take place brings drama, miss trust, and lack of communication which leads to under performing. How often have you overheard office gossip and didn't address it or watched a manager show favoritism to certain team members? What have you done about it? Did you address it at the time, on an individual basis, or not at all?

Getting a handle on the office politics can be tiresome, stressful, and even distracting. Laying the groundwork on how your team acts towards each other, how they communicate, and how they work together is one of the most important things you can do to create cohesiveness. If your team is focusing on Jane in accounting, Matt the manager, or Roy in HR, how are they staying focused on what they are suppose to be focused on? What impact does it have on those who are listening?

Addressing office politics should be done in front of all employees. I am not saying single out gossiping Gaby, but address the issue in a meeting. The reason you do it in a meeting and not on an individual basis, you don't have to worry about miscommunication or make an employee feel as if they are the problem. Part of leadership is making sure everyone can thrive and feel comfortable in the environment you created.

Allowing gossip and favoritism is like cancer, it spreads quietly throughout the team and starts degrading it from the inside. If not controlled, it will sowing discord between team members, create cliques, reduce performance, and reduce retention. No one wants to work in an environment that reflects a reality show.

Make sure that you are leading with growth in mind. Setting the example for those around you in the workspace combats negativity and brings forth a need to be better for everyone. Keep in mind, your environment is a direct reflection on your leadership.