How many of you have started off the New Year full of good intention in thinking of a really amazing New Year resolution only to have already broken it? Come on I bet there’s a few of us who have already made any number of excuses as to why we can’t manage the gym/walk/cycle/Zumba class we intended.
But actually how about we think less about our physical attributes and more about our internal strengths and areas for toning, sculpting and just being a better person at work. Do we ever start a new year with the intention of behaving badly to others? Of course not. But do we ever set out a new year with a focus of actually being mindful of our behaviours and attitudes towards others?
Whatever role we have in an organisation our behaviours and attitudes tell everyone around us more about our own values than we would like to think. Having a bit of a gossip in the kitchen; saying how badly a manager has treated one of their team; bad-mouthing senior management; not agreeing with any new policies or practices. All of these bad habits are things that, if they go unchecked, can lead to a culture of negativity and can lead to a workplace that is not conducive to a productive, happy and healthy work environment. It can ultimately lead to really good people leaving because of the unhealthy workplace.
So maybe we should all start off 2015 being more aware of the impact our behaviours and attitudes have in the organisation we work in and not getting involved with gossip; challenging others who do so; being role models; and just being careful what we say and how it might be perceived.
In the words of Plato: “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.”
Perhaps sometimes we should just be silent!