Does this sound like your workplace?

Everyone is sooooo busy!  You hear this all the time, and it is frustrating when a new project or an idea is given but all you hear is, “We are too busy.” As time passes, you see that the same people who complain and tell you how busy they are are actually killing the brand and the team. So you ask yourself, “How do they keep their job?” Great question!

If you have been in this situation, you will see that these people do what is required, and if they do complete new projects, they complain behind the back of the leader. Even if they miss deadlines, they keep their job while they bring down moral and create a culture and brand that is suboptimal.

The sad part of this situation is that when a new person comes to the team with new ideas, they will eventually leave because the team members — aka, the fortress of suboptimal —  suppress new ideas under the flag of “we are too busy to do that work.”

If the new member is not in authority of the team members, they will experience challenge. At first this is subtle, with team members questioning them or trying to show off by trying to show they are superior to the new team member. The challenges to the new person will be strong and emotional. When a staff member has emotional outbursts, and complaints are expressed with no action, it becomes clear to the entire team that, “You need to watch your back around (fill in the name of the team member who plays the victim even when they offend and disrespect).”

When this happens, you lose the person who could bring new ideas and new revenue.

I know you’re thinking people should report the bad behavior, but most people never report it, they just leave. We have been taught not to burn bridges.

The cycle of dysfunction continues, and the brand never grows. The team is surviving on drama, gossip, and miscommunication. Revenue does not increase, and leadership is too busy to see the problem until a lawsuit.

Is this your company? If you answered “yes,” there is a solution, but it requires accountability and expert help.

Training with your entire team is the only way to get to the core of the real problem. Building your brand, team, and revenue cannot be done by new leadership alone. It takes a trainer/facilitator who listens and provides resources.

In 2017 will you watch the culture at your workplace continue or will you push for change? Consider the risk of doing nothing.

Learn from teams who made drastic changes to become exceptional. Many have forgotten the Cavs made a huge leadership change in 2016. They bonded around team communication, and even injuries could not stop them from taking the championship this year.

Will your team be the Cavs of 2017? Connect with me to let me know the success stories of building your brand, team, and revenue in the New Year. I will share in future columns.

Katherine Miracle is the founder and CEO of Miracle Resources, a marketing, public relations, and training firm that helps clients increase revenue and awareness. She is a strategic personal branding expert and the author of “Your Strategic Personal Brand.” She can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter.