By Natalie Ashdown
Them had had enough! He was sick and tired of being blamed for everything that happens in the workplace. He decided to go and speak to his mate, They on another floor and found out to his surprise that They had been accused of many things recently too!
“They always say We can’t do it!” and “They never listen to Us”.
Poor old They, he couldn’t even recall having a conversation with Us, let alone not listening to her. He couldn’t understand why people kept saying this, day in and day out.
And people where saying it was “Us against Them” and quite frankly Them recently hadn’t had much to do with Us lately at all!
Together they decided to do something about it! They and Them would go and speak with Culture. But the trouble was that nobody had seen Culture recently.
Last time that someone had seen him he looked pale and gloomy, and sick and he was hanging around in the darkened corridors and lurking around the water coolers having whispered conversations. He was also seen to be hanging out with Rumour, and everyone in the workplace knew that Rumour was bad news!
Rumour was a sort of party girl! She hung out and caused trouble for no reason, just to spice the workplace up a little and supposedly to have a little fun. She always appeared when Communication was on inter-state trips. So it worried They and Them that Rumour and Culture had been hanging out together a bit lately.
And Communication? Well he really didn’t know what he was doing! He was coming and going, leaving incomplete messages, some people heard him, some people didn’t, he was in a bit of a mess himself and again, nobody had seen him for a while. Communication was a natural born leader in the workplace, when he was around everyone seemed to be happy and content. When he was absent everyone just started to go, well, a little bit funny. Then funny turned to stress and stress turned to anxious and then everyone went to see Rumour because she was having all the fun.
“Come on” said They to Them. “We can do this! We can set the record straight. Now where could Culture be?”
As they started out looking earnestly for Culture, They and Them bumped into three friends, I, You and We. They started to explain what was going on in the workplace and how he was being blamed for everything and very quickly We cut him off and said “Well hope You don’t think I was to blame for anything?”
“Oh of course not!” said You definitely. “Let’s leave I out of this!”
“Well,” thought poor They and Them, “it seems that nobody wants to own up to what’s really going on around here. It seems that Everybody wants to sweep things under the carpet!”.
Now Everybody had been doing some sweeping in a nearby cubicle and he overheard the conversation and yelled at the top of his voice “This is not about me! Leave me out of it!”
Oh the situation was becoming more and more confusing and more and more frustrating and more and more hopeless.
They and Them where no closer to solving the mystery when who walked around the corner but Culture himself and striding along-side him was Communication!
“Oh my goodness” shouted the pair. “Where have you been? Oh Culture you look positively dreadful!” He did too! Culture was looking really shabby and he smelt of something that they couldn’t quite describe, but let’s just say it was not good!
It was true. In the absence of Communication, Culture had really let himself go. He had been partying all night with Rumour, and now he looked really sheepish, almost embarrassed. He hadn’t always been this way, but lately he’d been on a slippery down-hill spiral and he was recruiting people and parts of the organisation along the way. He’d converted at least three major departments to join him on his perilous and self-destructive journey.
Communication called a meeting. He asked for They, Them, Culture, I, You, We, Everybody and Rumour to come into the conference room, for he had something very important to say.
“We can’t go on like this” he said. “This is not how the workplace should be! They get’s blamed for everything; Everybody just gives in; it becomes Us against Them; and Rumour starts up! Look at Culture, look how he is suffering. Something has to change! If nothing changes then I’m very afraid that Culture will be destroyed and nobody will want to work in place where that happens to a person. Slowly, one by one people will leave until finally, Everybody leaves!
“I’ve got an idea” said a small voice in the corner. Nobody had even noticed the tiny spark in the corner of the room - it was Creativity. “I’ve got an idea”, she said again and as she did, she stood and it was as if she started glowing. “We need to bring back Responsibility” she said, and she said it with such passion and conviction that even Everybody was listening!
“Responsibility went away when We started telling Everybody what to do! It’s true. I couldn’t take Responsibility and since They and Them where being blamed for everything it seemed that he just didn’t have a place in the workplace anymore”, explained Creativity. “But if he is to come back”, said Creativity, “then things are going to have to change. We are going to have to accept Responsibility. I will have to embrace Responsibility and They and Them and Rumour will have to take a back seat.”
The group all looked at each other and one by one smiled and nodded. In their hearts it was true - this really was the way forward. It really was the way to turn Culture around and most important create the workplace to be really proud of.
It didn’t take long at all to bring Responsibility back and Communication really led the way with great listening and coaching questions (he had been on a training program recently and was keen to try out his new skills). And little bit by little bit, as the team grew stronger and worked together, Culture started to come out of his funk and started to grow. He was looking really good, really healthy, and the workplace was becoming a happier place to be.
How it happened or what caused the whole terrible situation was no longer really important. What was important was that Them and They where no longer blamed for mistakes, in fact mistakes where welcomed in the workplace and seen as something that could bring Lessons, Learning, Growth and Innovation. Each of these wonderful people had recently joined the team and together, everyone flourished best when Culture felt strong and alive.
Funnily enough Rumour felt that she wasn’t really serving a purpose anymore, especially since Communication was around all the time, so she sauntered off to find another workplace to hang out in.
Let’s hope she’s not causing havoc in your workplace! You better go check on Responsibility in your workplace and check on the other friends and make sure your Culture is strong and supportive. And best you go and check under the carpet and make sure that no nasty surprises are lurking there too!
I wish you well!
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