NO GOSSIP ZONE

By Judy Kay Mausolf, President and Owner of Practice Solutions Inc.

New alert! Gossip is not something that all women just do! “Women do not have to gossip!” By the way, gossip does not just happen with women. Many men gossip as well … they just call it something else! We can successfully nurture a No Gossip Zone!

I refer to gossip as the “Poison Triangle of Mistrust” because gossip most often involves two people talking about a third person. Nothing shreds trust faster than gossip. Haven’t we all walked by when somebody was talking about us? Remember how you felt? How much did you trust the people who were talking about you? How much did you want to communicate or work with any of them? Imagine the effect gossip has on team performance and patient experience.

The sad truth is gossip happens because it is often thought of as fluff stuff and is tolerated without having any consequences. Nurturing a No Gossip Zone office culture raises trust and morale instantly and elevates communication, team performance, patient experience and your bottom line! This is big stuff, and there are plenty of reasons to adopt a No Gossip Zone office culture!

Here are four steps to help you nurture a No Gossip Zone!

1. 2.

The first step is to start with a team meeting. Have the entire team attend. Establish the definition of gossip for the practice as anything negative about another person, or private that they do not want others to know. Also, if we are listening, we are just as responsible as the person talking. We play a 50-50 role. Because if they have no one to tell it to, it stops. We may also think venting or blowing off steam is OK and is not considered gossip. In most cases, it is gossip. A good qualifier to ask ourselves is: the person I am blowing off steam about heard me, how would he/she feel?

The second step is for the entire team to verbally commit to each other to support a no gossip culture and stop it when it happens. Have the team agree on a word or phrase they will say if someone starts gossiping to them. Some of my clients use the word peace (in other words, keep the peace) or stop or, please take it to the source or even remember we said we weren’t going to gossip It can be anything as long as everyone knows the word or phrase.

3. 4.

The third step is to say the phrase or word when someone starts gossiping to us. It is also your responsibility to try to stop gossip, even if you happen to be in a location where several people are gossiping. In a respectful manner, ask them to stop by using the word or phrase and, if necessary, reinforce how toxic gossip is to the team and the practice. If they refuse to stop gossiping, inform management.

The fourth step is for management to hold the gossiping team members accountable to support the practice standard. It is important to have defined consequences for gossip, just like any other practice standard. If the gossiping behavior continues, it can lead to termination. Yes, gossip is a big enough reason to terminate!

These four steps will help nurture a No Gossip Zone in your practice.

The bottom line is that gossip affects trust, and trust is not just a social virtue — it dramatically affects communication, team performance, patient experience and the bottom line!

Ms. Mausolf is President and owner of Practice Solutions Inc.; director of sponsoring partners, Speaking Consulting Network; author. Ms. Mausolf can be reached at 612.701.4922 or visit her website at PracticeSolutionsInc.net

She will offer “Communication Solutions: Attitudes, Breakdowns and Conflict Resolutions” – June 30, 9-11:30 a.m. and “R.I.S.E. to Success! Systems and Strategies that Build High-Performing Teams” – June 30, 2-4:30 p.m.at the 2023 Florida Dental Convention. Learn more about Ms. Mausolf’s course being offered at the 2023 Florida Dental Convention at floridadentalconvention.com FDC2023 registration opens March 1.