Some gravitate to drama. After all, TV viewers love to watch drama on the big screen. Drama sells. However, it can be devastating in an organization and even in the home.
Think about what it would be like if every time as a teenager you came home your parents were arguing and screaming at each other.
What would it be like if you had to go to work and pretend to get along with a coworker or boss who had some kind of vendetta against you?
Without a doubt some are totally oblivious to the harmful effects of drama.
As I think back over the 2011 NFL football season there is a classic case of how drama damages a team.
The Cincinnati Bengals were absolutely horrible during the preseason. At the time they were having contract disputes with one of their star quarterbacks. Previous to that two other players continued to negatively effect the team with their own egotistical personal behaviors.
As a result, when the season started most analysts wrote the team off completely. Why? Because emotionally healthy people clearly understand that teams and organizations cannot overcome the type of dysfunctionalism that results from all the crazy drama. In fact, many felt that the coach himself should probably go because the Bengals simply had too many deep issues in the organization. Some predicted the team would likely win no more than two games.
By mid-September all three players were gone from the Bengals team.
Guess what? The drama was now gone. And the team started winning football games. When the season ended they had won enough games to get into the playoffs. They did not need a new coach, they simply needed to get rid of the players who were creating all the drama and holding the team back.
Sounds simple. Get rid of all the drama and get back to winning!
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