Drama Detox: Three Steps to Cleanse Your Business Culture

Reducing Workplace Drama and Gossip

In this episode of the Quality of Life Podcast, Erin Olson delves into the challenges of managing workplace drama and gossip. She shares insights on the negative impact of gossip, presents three practical strategies to reduce drama, and highlights the importance of maintaining integrity and professionalism in business. Through anecdotes and actionable advice, Erin illustrates how businesses can create a positive work culture and focus on growth. The episode underscores the importance of addressing unresolved conflicts and spreading positivity in the workplace.

00:00 Welcome to the Quality of Life Podcast
00:28 Introduction to Drama and Gossip in the Workplace
01:13 The Story of Kelly and the Rubber Band
02:28 Implementing a No-Gossip Policy
07:13 Addressing Unresolved Conflict
09:33 Professionalism and Integrity in Business
12:29 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
13:39 Closing Remarks

Resources:
Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey

Thanks for listening! I'm glad you're here.

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See ya next week!
Erin

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Hey guys, and welcome back to the quality of life podcast. Erin Olson here to get you from your business idea to big business. be sure to subscribe right now and click that little bell for notifications so that you don't miss out on any of our upcoming episodes. Last week, we talked all about affiliate marketing and paid sponsorships. Those are great ways to help grow your business and your niche into markets. You might not know. This week we are gonna talk about something juicy. Are you guys ready? Because We are talking about drama and gossip. Those two go hand in hand. Let me tell you. We all would love to work in a drama free workplace, right? Well, most of us anyways. I do know some friends who really like having the drama around them, as long as they're not part of it, right? Well, here's the thing. We all seem to want to work in a drama free workplace and to have no drama at business. Is that possible? I'm not sure it's a hundred percent possible, but I can tell you, you can greatly reduce how much drama you deal with on a daily basis. Back when we were first hiring some employees for Hay Chix, well it was Cinch Chicks back then, after a rebrand, we actually hired a young woman named Kelly. Now, Kelly came in and she aced her interview. And, you know, I would always try to go and talk about things that I notice about them. And she had a rubber band and this was back in the day when it was very common to have, you know, like a WWJD rubber band on or something like that. And I saw her rubber band. So I asked her, what was that all about? And she said it was to help her to not get in to drama. So every time she found that she was involved in drama, she would snap her rubber band on her wrist to remind her to quit being involved in drama. Now we thought that was great because we had dealt with some drama already with family members and whatnot. And so we thought that was a great omen and a sign that we should hire her. Well, unfortunately guys, if you have a red flag like that on somebody that you're hiring, I just got to tell you, don't. Kelly was such a young lady and she was just a really good heart, but she dove headfirst into all the drama. In fact, she started a lot of drama. So we learned our lesson, man, were we naive, but here's the deal I want to help give you three ways to help reduce the drama in your business and it can trickle into your life, too. so the first way to reduce the amount of drama in your business and your life Is a gossip policy. Oh man, I'm telling you, I am so guilty of this myself. And I fight with it all the time because I don't know what it is about gossip, but holy crap, it is so easy that it just comes sliding out our mouth before we even think about it. And I'm telling you, I am teaching myself here because gossip is so easy to get sucked into, and there's so many things you can talk about. Now, in our business at Hay Chix, we had over 25 employees at one time, and we really had to install a no gossip policy. And it was really hard, because we gossiped just as much as they did. We learned the hard way that you can have a policy, But unless you enforce it, that policy will be completely ignored So we had to define what gossip was in our business. And at Hay Chix, and I guess in life in general, we identified gossip as you talking or complaining negatively about anything or anyone that that you don't have a solution to, or that isn't present for the conversation. Gossip usually only includes lateral discussions, or discussions with people who are beneath you in your business. Now, a lateral discussion would be people at the same level. So, we had a manufacturing facility, and we had a lot of people back there and anybody talking amongst each other without actually bringing up any positives is considered drama. It is definitely dramamatic. Now, if there was drama and it came up in meetings or whatnot, that is an okay way to Gossip. It's not considered gossip if you're talking to somebody who can actually do something about it. so how do you enforce that in your business? Well, we made a policy and basically it was no conversations that are negative amongst your peers or anyone below you if they are not present or if you don't have any solutions, ideas are always welcomed in business and you should have that as a policy too. the thing is, you're going to run into problems with people who don't want to"Tattle" or tell on somebody else. and that's a real problem because A lot of people don't want to be known as being the person who tells on other people. So what we installed in business was that every time that we had a meeting, We started out going around the circle with our highlight and our low light, which a lot of times if there was some gossip involved, the low light would usually come to the surface and it would be from the person who's actually dealing with the problem. So that was very, very helpful. It also helped bring ideas to the surface and to help us all realize That we are all in the same boat and we all have stuff going on. Another thing that we did was that we had a comment box. when you're dealing with a lot of different personalities, there are times where people just don't want to talk about things. And so having an anonymous comment box where they could put a You know, Hey, this is going on, or, Hey, I need help with this or whatever in a comment box so that nobody else sees them do it and nobody else knows about it except leadership. It is a great way to really hit head on the problems that may be starting to bubble to the surface in your business. And friends, the worst part about enforcing a policy is actually enforcing it. Yes, we fired people for gossip. Yeah, it was hard, and we did give people a warning first, but they only got one. And when you do that, it really sets the tone for what you want as your culture in your business. Now, I will tell you that gossip is the number one killer of good culture in any business. Because it breeds bad culture. It's just like a yeast that just grows out of control. It just keeps bubbling and bubbling and bubbling, eventually becoming destructive in one way, shape, or form. So you really need to hit this nail right on the head before it becomes a problem. And I'm telling you as much as it may hurt with production, it may hurt with sales, wherever this person is involved, if you get somebody who is consistently gossiping out of your business, It sets a precedent and a tone for business moving forward. the second way to reduce drama in your business is to really discuss unresolved conflict right away, as soon as you feel it. And let me tell you guys, you will feel it. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked into an office or a warehouse or any type of room where there's people who have drama going on. Conflict has its own energy that is just, it's oppressive. It feels heavy. It feels icky. And there's people who are shifting glances. It's very obvious when you allow yourself to be susceptible to feeling it. now in our business, when we could feel that there was unresolved, conflict happening between two people, the first thing we did was bring them into the office and talk it out. I know that sounds just painful and yes, sometimes it was pretty painful if I'm being completely honest. But remember that meme going around a long time ago of the sibling shirt Where if a couple brothers were arguing, mom would put them in a big t shirt and make them hug it out until they loved each other. Basically, this was the same idea only in a workplace where, Where you probably shouldn't have people hugging each other without really consenting to it. Right? So basically we would come in and we would say, Hey, we feel something's going on between you two. can we just get it all out and try to resolve this? And honestly, sometimes it took a long time, but I will tell you more times than not, it ended up with people actually becoming better friends. And it makes a real big team because we hit this on as a team. We addressed it right away. We don't really expect people to like each other, but you have to respect each other in business. And the only way you get respect is by being open and honest and not sugarcoating crap. Okay. So bring people in. It's a great way to resolve conflict and man, it makes such a difference. Plus if there is a little bit of somebody getting rubbed the wrong way, A lot of times, if they are really averse to conflict, it'll just burn itself out and it'll be a non issue in a week. But if it seems to be smoldering, Definitely bring them in to talk about it. The third way to reduce drama in your business, Is to not talk smack about other companies, other vendors, other people in business, or anybody. Act professionally and by being professional, you actually elevate yourself and you become a little more immune to being gossiped about yourself. So, back when I had rebel footworks and I was a farrier, the one thing I noticed is that horse people, they talk about other people and gossip and talk smack about people so much. Like, that horse doesn't behave because that person is training them and they have no business doing what they're doing. Or boy, that horse's feet look like crap. Do you know who that farrier is? because that farrier is doing a crappy job and that horse would be so much better off with another farrier or, Oh my gosh. Did you hear what that vet told them to do about that horse? I am telling you the horse industry gets the label of being crazy horse people for a reason. And a lot of times it is because we so easily will talk smack about other people in the business. And that is a horrible way to do business and be a business owner. I'm telling you guys, Don't talk smack about anybody else in your business. If you think somebody else is doing a mediocre job or doing something really really wrong, keep it to yourself. Don't even talk about it amongst your employees or anybody you work with because it will come out guys. If there are customers that owe you money or if vendors are having supply issues or just quality control issues, keep it to yourself. This is what being a business owner is all about. Being respectable, being honorable, and having integrity. Bottom line, just don't do it. Don't talk smack about anyone. Keep it to yourself. And by doing that you will have integrity and you will be at a level amongst the leaders in your industry. The bottom line is guys, act like an adult, not like a high school kid where you have all the cliques chitter chattering about or like a flock of hens in the hen house talking about all the things. You know what I'm talking about, right? Go to the source. ask the questions that you want to know answers to without going to the other people first. Don't beat around the bush, just be blunt and be loving and just find the answers for yourself instead of asking anybody else. Here's a really good tip I read in Dave Ramsey's book, Entree Leadership, and it is to hand your negatives up, which would mean to leadership, and your positives either laterally or down. Don't spread negative stuff anywhere along your peers or below you, because that is a great way to plant seeds of hate and fear and gossip. So guys, I am here to ask you all to level up in business. Really, it's your job. if you want to take your business idea to big business, you need to start acting like a business person and you need to start behaving in such a way that has integrity and that is honorable. there's this great quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that I heard that really helps set the tone for this. small minds talk about people. Mediocre minds talk about events And great minds talk about ideas. Even the Bible chimes in on gossip and drama. And it talks about it in so many places, but my favorite is Proverbs 26 20 fire goes out without wood and quarrels disappear without gossip Keep that in mind, guys. Well, guys, I hope that this really helps you in some way, shape, or form to realize how to level up your business, how to keep your culture great, and how to get from business idea to big business. Stop the gossip. Pfft. Stop the drama and stop the smack talk. Well, guys, thank you so much for joining me today. Be sure to subscribe, like, and share, and make sure you hit that little notification bell so that you receive all the notifications of our new episodes. I am so grateful for you guys, and I will see you next week on the quality of life podcast. See ya.