Yada..Yada...Yada...Did you hear about?

The fundamental premise of my book Everything You Know about Organizational Behavior You Learned in High School is that our behavior as adults in the workplace can best be defined as adolescent.  It is eerily similar to the individual and group dynamics that we experienced as teenagers.  While the book deals with the workplace, unfortunately it appears from recent events, that the core theme is prevalent in environments beyond the workplace

In early December, the leaders of the NATO alliance gathered in London for their annual meeting.  Attendees included the presidents of the United States, France and Turkey and the prime ministers of Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany just to highlight a few. The agenda was jam packed with critical issues such as NATO membership funding; world trade and tariffs; the democratic protests in Hong Kong; the on-going civil war in Syria and the centuries old conflict between Turkey and the Kurds. These are complex issues that require collaboration and compromise.

In one of the lighter moments at a cocktail event, the NATO leaders utilized their “relaxed” time together in a very unique manner.  In a phenomenally entertaining “hot microphone” moment, the president of France and the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Canada were overheard commenting on the inordinate amount of news coverage afforded the president of the United States.  They were giggling and gossiping like high schoolers and clearly, mocking the US president.  It was a clear example to me that the NATO “in crowd” or “cool kids” did not include the president of the United States.  I thought it was a hilarious moment courtesy of modern technology.

IT’S GREAT TO BE A “COOL KID”

Everyone, no matter what the environment, wants to be cool and popular.  There is always a group of individuals that everyone acknowledges is cool. In most situations, the “cool kids” are leaders and role models.  However, as evidenced by some of our NATO allies, there is often times a self-declared group of “cool kids”.   This group can be harmless or very damaging because the basic construct of the group is based upon exclusion of individuals that are to be mocked or diminished in some capacity. This is accomplished through gossip, rumors and just outright nastiness.  The goal is to elevate the group status by tearing down someone else.   Generally, there is nothing good that comes from tearing someone else down.

You will always be on the high road if you…

• Stay positive.  Never say anything about anyone that you would not say directly to them.

• Refrain from gossip.

• Practice inclusion.  Avoid exclusion.

• Be a builder - not a destroyer.

• Test your comments beforehand with the following questions.  If you answer “yes” to all three, move full speed ahead.

  • Is it true?

  • Is it necessary?

  • Is it kind?                                    

Even world leaders can use a reminder now and then.   Dear Mr. President…