From the course: Difficult Situations: Solutions for Managers

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Managing negative and harmful talk within the team

Managing negative and harmful talk within the team

From the course: Difficult Situations: Solutions for Managers

Managing negative and harmful talk within the team

- Science tells us that emotions at work really matter. Positive emotions are something of an elixir that can boost morale, productivity, and even creativity. In contrast, few things are as damaging as negative emotions. They provoke bad attitudes, unhelpful behaviors, and can really hurt morale. Probably the most common source of negative emotions at work is negative talk. I'm referring to comments and conversation that are overly critical, demeaning, or otherwise very unhelpful. It can be as simple as someone loudly and consistently complaining about various executive decisions that have been made. Whether it's simple blame and complaining or more harmful negativity exchanged between people on the team, negativity must be addressed or it's likely to spread. And, unlike positive emotions, negativity tends to stick and leaves behind a residue that people can almost feel. So, when you hear or become aware of unacceptable…

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