Stop gossip in 3 steps

Linda Adams of the Trispective Group writes that gossip has the power to dismantle even the best teams and keep good teams from becoming truly great. To stop its encroachment:

Work on assuming positive intent. If you’re ever unclear on a colleague’s motives, it’s your responsibility to ask questions and seek clarification.

Encourage people to bring their issues out in the open. If someone is constantly complaining about a teammate, push them to bring their issues out into the open. Tell them that nothing will be better unless they address it directly.

Be a good role model. If you want to be on a healthy, productive team, you need to unlearn bad habits. Learn to talk to your teammates instead of about them. Even if you’ve tolerated (or participated in) gossip before, let others know you have changed your ways and aren’t going to tolerate it moving forward.