I haven’t written in this blog for almost three years, even though there has been plenty to write about (and then some)! I struggled to find a way to move it forward, but have recently been inspired by some great blogs and podcasts, by awesome people on Twitter, and by a respected colleague who is moving forward in her own blog journey.

I also recently made a public commitment to write two blog posts per month, so hopefully that will help. If you’re reading this blog and you notice that it’s been more than two weeks between posts, please feel free to leave me a comment and hold me to it!

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how people talk about one another and what it says about organizational culture. First, I count my lucky stars that I’m in an organization that immediately stood out as a place where respectful language is the norm. Regardless of to whom I’m talking, there is an underlying current of professional respect and regard, which influences all conversations.

But how do you know? If you are in a meeting with others, and the following people are mentioned, what is the tone? Positive, negative, or neutral? What if there is frustration about an action or direction that’s been taken by the person? Do staff engage in shared, public complaining or can they discuss the issue but maintain respectful language when discussing a situation– even though the person is not in the room?

• Organization leaders
• Lateral colleagues
• Others in the organization

The healthiest organizations are those in which people speak respectfully of others even when it’s unlikely that the person would ever know what was said. This type of organizational culture fosters an atmosphere of trust because, as our mothers always said, “Anyone who talks behind someone’s back would do the same to you.”

Supposedly, negative gossip can serve as a form of social glue. We’ve all experienced that phenomenon, but I would argue that respectful language is even more bonding because you can feel confident that just as people are speaking respectfully about others, so they will likely speak about you. 

What can you do to foster this level of professional respect in your own organization? Choose to always speak about others in a respectful manner. You may be just one person, but you can help turn the tide and steer the ship towards the light.