Petty drama is always a sign that there’s a lack of trust.
On the surface, it almost always seems that the trust issues are between employees, but the root is almost always leadership misalignment.
For example, I was working with an executive that allowed a toxic employee to continue to work for her because she was afraid her decision to terminate would not be supported by her own boss. So rather than get the support she needed, she avoided a conversation with her own boss and let the toxicity continue.
Can you see here that there were at least two conversations being avoided?
Everyone knew what was going on, but no one had the courage to confront.
High-level leaders often assume that the leaders they hire to manage under them will have the skill sets to manage conflict.
Very often they don’t.
When leaders (at any level) avoid conflict hey create a ripple effect of interpersonal problems that affect productivity, well-being and organizational results.
If you need to rebuild trust in your organization, it starts at the top, with the executive team. What conversations have been put on the back burner for too long? Reach out. I can help.
To your alignment,
Marlene Chism
