Every workplace, unfortunately, has workplace pettiness - even virtual ones.
Pettiness is unavoidable whether it is minor or full-blown out of control. It affects small and large companies alike. Pettiness usually stems from feelings - feelings of being treated unfairly, favoritism, or just plain old insecurity.
And as an entrepreneur and or CEO this is the last thing you want to deal with.
However, and this is a BIG however, you have to. It is part of your leadership responsibilities.
Plus, if you do not kill, decimate, and eradicate the pettiness, the pettiness will kill your profits and business for good.
And very often and unbeknownst to you (the 'boss') - you are the reason for the pettiness. Why? Because you haven't set the right tone and environment for your employees.
So while pettiness is a nuisance, it can cause discord and chaos amongst coworkers in a big way. There are several ways for dealing with and avoiding pettiness in the workplace.
So follow these four simple guidelines and your business can focus on business:
* Have a Daily Refocus Meeting
By incorporating a daily refocus meeting into your daily grind, you can get everyone on board to what the big picture really is. Focusing on the main goals of the day and the action plans to achieve them will keep employees focused on the main objective first thing in the morning.
* Incorporate a Set of Action Steps
By incorporating a set of action steps into the weekly or daily meeting, you offer the opportunity for employees to have a clear and specific set of goals. Without clear and specific goals, many employees have difficulty trying to figure out what is next.
When there is too much time on one's hands, there is a tendency to leave room for unimportant and trivial details.
* Have a Time Management Operator
When an employee or group of employees finds themselves with too much time and not enough to do, there is a prime opportunity for pettiness to grow. Make certain that your employees have enough to do, but are not overloaded. Make certain that there are enough projects flowing smoothly throughout the workday and that these projects are well spaced out. As you business grows it is great to have a General Manger (GM). This person ensure that the right projects and tasks are handled at the right time.
* Incorporate "Be the Bigger Person"
While the concept of being the bigger person is not a new concept, there is a new twist on being the bigger person. You need to teach your employees and team members that it does not necessarily mean you are the better person; it simply means that you see the bigger picture.
Sometimes others have things from their pasts or even in their current lives going on that you are not even aware of and the pettiness is not about you.
Showing compassion and extending the olive branch is sometimes all that is necessary to make amends.
When it comes to pettiness, it is important to recognize the word itself. Pettiness means to give too much life to something that is trivial. It is often more about something bigger than the small issue at hand.
If you take a moment to stop and breathe and look inside yourself, you may just recognize that the small issue at hand really stems from something much bigger and deeper.
Reaching out to another person in order to dispel the pettiness may be all that is necessary for a little more peace and harmony in the workplace environment.
These simple guidelines can make the difference between you listening to disgruntle employees for most of your day or you creating your new product.
It can be the difference between you writing up an employee warning or you writing that email that can make you a lot of money.
In order to keep your eye on the prize, your eye has to be first and foremost on your employee engagement.