Leave behind the office drama—embrace a solution-focused approach to drive growth and success
In many workplaces, CEOs and business leaders find themselves managing more than just business operations and their team; they’re mediating office drama, handling complaints, soothing egos, and more. If this sounds familiar, your company may be fostering a kind of “adult daycare” culture.
What is “adult daycare”?
In an adult daycare work environment, employees treat the workplace as an outlet for personal drama and complaints, blurring the line between professional and personal boundaries. It might actually look the way a day care looks, involving whining, overreacting, and excitement through unnecessary drama.
While it’s important to acknowledge that employees have lives outside of work, it’s equally as important to make it clear that the office is not the place to unload personal issues. Leaders and CEOs need to reinforce the expectation that work time is meant for work, so as to not derail team productivity.
Establish clear boundaries
One of the most important leadership skills for CEOs to develop to cultivate more structure in the work environment, is to establish clear rules of what would be seen as acceptable (or “above the line”) behavior and unacceptable (or “below the line”) behavior. “Above the line” behaviors, for example, might include professionalism, accountability, critical thinking, open-mindedness, and a solutions-oriented mindset. “Below the line” behaviors, for example, might include gossiping, complaining, or stirring up issues.
While it’s reasonable to expect below the line behavior from time to time (we’re all human, after all), it shouldn’t dominate your workplace. If someone has a pressing issue or complaint, speak with them one-on-one. Give them 10 minutes to voice their thoughts. Offer solutions and allow them to come up with ideas too. If their complaints are nothing more than negative talk, lacking solutions, then encourage them as gently as you can to “snap out of it.” It’s not being rude; it’s effective team management.
Team management skill: Listening vs. enabling
As a leader, knowing when to listen and when to say “enough is enough” is essential. Employees deserve grace and empathy, but allowing every minor complaint to become a major issue will lead to a sluggish work culture and a spread-thin CEO who is getting taken advantage of. A balanced listening approach is one of the most effective team management skills for a CEO to develop: be there to offer support and empathy AND don’t allow behavior that is seeking validation or offering unproductive venting.
From adult daycare to what?
To grow a productive, thriving business, you need a structured and solutions-oriented culture, not a whining “listen to my personal life” day care. Set clear boundaries. Reinforce “above the line” behaviors. Stop “below the line” behaviors in their tracks. And, when work-related issues do arise—as they will—encourage your team to come up with practical solutions instead of merely focusing on problems. In this kind of environment, employees will feel empowered, focused, and professional; they will bring their best selves to work, which means leaving the crying and whining culture behind once and for all.
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