You Suck!

Last night at the hockey game during the introductions of the opposing team, after each player’s name was announced some fans would holler “You suck” until the last player was announced and the fans chanted “You suck, too!” By the third period of the game and the home team up 3 – 0 a few fans were heckling the opposing team’s goalie with three chants of his name and then a loud “You suck!” During a break in play the goalie came over to where the hecklers were sitting and made a gesture toward them. Then the fans started chanting “We’re in your head!”

Can you imagine having a bad day at the office and dozens of people hollering at you “You suck”? Can you imagine making a significant mistake like letting the competition score a client (goal) and hundreds of people started booing you? Sports spectators can be brutal, and that behavior is making its way into the workplace as well.

Managers are calling down employees with harsh behavior, in some instances threatening their jobs if they don’t improve. Employees are challenging each other and pointing fingers toward each other. We have become a society who wanting zero defects, which are tense over the economy and insecure in our futures and are quick to point out where someone else failed.

Leaders need to recognize these challenging economic times are causing insecure behaviors in the workplace that could have lasting damage if not controlled immediately. Do you think one of those fans standing on his own with no glass protection between him and that goalie would still scream in his ear “You suck”? No, the protection of the glass and having other fans join in with them allows everyone to vent their anger. It becomes a culture. Leaders need to protect healthy work cultures so they are not taken into a “You suck” direction.

Now is the time for people in the workplace to tighten their connections, create a solution-focused environment instead of a blame-focused environment. Those leaders who replace the “You suck” culture with another sports chant: “You da Man (Woman)” culture is going to have more secure workers more focused on making improvements instead of sending each other to counseling or retribution behavior.