Many experienced business professionals were ghosted last year. It seems to be the tread for employees and other business professionals to avoid having important conversations.
What is ghosting?
Ghosting is now so prevalent that many use this behavior to avoid having conversations or saying “no.” They fear disappointing others. Also, it’s their way to avoid confrontations. They believe it’s easier to “ghost” than say, “no” or “I’m unhappy” or “I got a better job offer” or “I don’t agree.”
Most fail to realize the consequences of not having these important conversations. They use ghosting to experience a momentary feeling of relief or a surge of personal power. But, it never lasts. Ghosting can irrevocably hurt a person’s reputation because we don’t forget.
Encourage Open Conversations to Decrease Ghosting
Verbal Communication. Today, many employees need help with their communication abilities. Workshops and podcasts teach participants how to listen, ask questions, and engage voice-to-voice. Remember, texting and social media are not the same as actually talking to another human being.
Soft Skills Training. Training is crucial to build a resilient team. Teach them how to have tough conversations, make requests, and share concerns instead of ghosting. Create win-win outcomes to turn around poor performance. These are important, trainable, and learnable skills. As a boss, make it easy for others to share their ideas and frustrations with you. Remember, it’s better to know the issues up-front and work through them than to wait until you’re ghosted (than, it’s too late).
Emotional Intelligence. Many people today expect to be happy in work and jobs. They don’t understand that the grass is rarely greener elsewhere. They expect their job, boss, and company to become their happy-place. They forget happiness is an inside job, not provided by someone else. As the boss, encourage your employees explore other interests outside of work (e.g., gardening, writing a book, side gigs, etc.). Also, encourage them to become key employees within their workgroups as a way of improving life and job satisfaction.
©Jeannette Seibly, 2019
For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. Contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.