Which is faster in your organization, the monthly newsletter or the company grapevine? I am taking odds.

When something bad happens, it is amazing how quickly news spreads from one work team to the next, one department to the next. If only our company newsletter was half as effective at half the speed. More importantly, we know how well the grapevine works with bad news and gossip. How can we inject positive buzz into that same channel? How can we impact the chatter around the water cooler in a positive way?

Gregg uses a bell. There are certain rules for ringing the bell. It has to be a new contract, success in a collection effort, the closeout on a difficult project. But when the bell rings, no one knows why. They have to ask, “Hey, I heard the bell ring today. What happened?”

“Oh, man, we have been working on the ABC contract for three months. They finally signed.”

That’s the kind of positive buzz I like to hear around the water cooler. What kind of impact do you have on the gossip channel in your organization? -TF