Have you ever been right in the middle of a thought, or adding figures, or making a plan, and a coworker stops at your desk and starts in with the small talk? AAAH! You can practically hear your train of thought as it goes flying off the bridge.
Some people protest that they’re just trying to be friendly. Isn’t that what culture transformation is all about?
NO, NO, NO. Friendly is fine, but that’s NOT what it’s “all about.”
You start with engagement, a workplace of people who love their jobs and can’t wait to dig in and rock it. That puts productivity through the roof, which drives profits through the roof. NOW you’ve got a dynamic, successful workplace.
Notice that it all starts with people being engaged in their work. Well you can’t be engaged in your work if someone is derailing your train every ten minutes by chattering about the latest episode of Toddlers and Tiaras!
It doesn’t matter what the topic of the day is. It’s simply disruptive, and it’s one of the enemies of a productive and engaged workplace. It wastes the chatter’s time, disrespects the time and focus of teammates, and lowers their chance for a raise, promotion or hitting goals. Everyone is hurt by it.
There’s plenty of time to connect. Talk before work. Talk after work. Talk at break time or lunch time. And if you find yourself standing by somebody’s desk, make sure you have a pen and notebook writing down who is doing what by when. That’s the way to create a culture that will rock everyone’s world!