Leadership: ‘I’m a gossip and proud of it’

Who said gossip has to be unpleasant?

I’ve been gossiping for years. I see it as an important part of my job as a leader.

Think of gossip as a valuable tool for building a healthy culture in your team. It’s a way of communicating your values – what you admire and think worthy of mentioning.

So someone in the team has been putting in extra effort lately and another earned an appreciative note from a customer?  Maybe someone else succeeded with a project despite many setbacks. They sound like gossip-worthy topics. Work them into a conversation with others in the team. Maybe send an email to your boss, copying in the employee.

Rules for leaders who gossip

1. Make it positive – no exceptions. Imagine that the person you are talking about will hear what you are saying, because she will.

2. Ensure that the gossip is always consistent with team values – so examples of dedication, success or help for others, not creative ways to get around head office rules.

3. Gossip about effort, not talents
It’s a vital distinction. If you praise fixed traits such as talents or intelligence, you will do harm. You will encourage your team members to adopt a fixed mindset – the belief that people are either talented or intelligent, or not. Using your gossip to recognise team members’ hard work, determination or resilience creates a healthy growth mindset throughout the team. Hard work, determination and resilience are behaviours, so within everyone’s control.

4. Respect privacy – as a leader you hear private stuff. You might mention your concern for someone who is sick, but never what the sickness is, unless the team member has been talking openly about it.

5. Make it low-key – just natural conversation, not gushy.

Why gossip when you could just go to the achiever and say well done?

Good point. Think of positive gossip as an extra way of communicating – an informal and natural way of communicating values and good news.

If it’s a big event, always go to the team member first. If it’s really big, announce it to the whole team as well.

About the author: Ralph Brown is a speaker, trainer and writer on the science of success. His company Skillset New Zealand provides training in the communication and personal skills that make people more effective at work. Read his eBook “The Village That Could” on bookboon.com.