The habit that damages work relationships: being unsound
Picture this: a senior colleague sends you a Teams message that says only "Hi, can we talk?", with nothing to tell you whether it's urgent or routine, good news or bad, and you spend the next few hours working through every possible thing you might have done wrong, while the sender has already moved on to their next task, blissfully unaware that they've derailed your day.
What sound means
In Ireland we have a word for the opposite of that behaviour, which is sound, as in "he's very sound" or "don't worry about her, she's sound out", and it's about the highest compliment you can pay someone here without either of you getting embarrassed. It describes a person who is decent, reliable and easy to be around, the kind who offers help, does what they say they'll do, and makes an effort not to create unnecessary headaches for the people around them. Being sound at work can look like - offering help when you notice someone is slammed, asking the new person to join you for lunch, being really clear about what’s happening with your projects, giving thoughtful and timely feedback, just basically being a pleasant person to interact with!
How UNSOUNDNESS shows up
Unsound is a word you'll hear too, and it means someone who is generally focused disproportionately more on themselves - than others. When I asked people what unsound behaviour had looked like in their own workplaces, the stories were not dramatic: a colleague who turned every team meeting into a chance to promote himself; a project colleague who kept missing deadlines and then pretended not to have realised, a colleague who only offered help when the leader was present; and a leader who insisted everything was going brilliantly while layoffs were around the corner and she was about to leave the department. Ladies and gentlemen, every one of those is an unsound way to act, and I'd wager you've met at least one of them yourself.
Unsound behaviour shows up in most workplaces, unfortunately. Sometimes it’s very subtle - like the person who sits down in a shared office and gets straight to work without a hello or a nod to anyone nearby - it’s not intentionally unkind - but it is unsound. Or the person who shows no curiosity in conversation - only wanting to talk about themselves. Or the colleague who can see that you’re busy - and interrupts your flow anyway to get your help. These little unsound moments - chip away at the enjoyment of work.
What it CAN costs
When unsound becomes uncivil - the impact is even greater. Christine Porath and Christine Pearson collected data from more than 14,000 people over 14 years to track workplace incivility, and in a poll of 800 managers and employees across 17 industries, 80% of those on the receiving end said they lost work time worrying about an incident of incivility, while 78% said their commitment to the organisation declined, whereas the person responsible has very often moved on without a second thought.
How to be sound
Being sound isn’t actually that hard - because it doesn't ask you to be warm with everyone, to perform enthusiasm you don't feel, or to like people you find difficult; it asks only that you show consideration, do what you’re meant to and generally interact in a way that demonstrates a degree of care for others.
If you have examples of sound and unsound behaviour at work - please share in the comments - that would be sound.
That’s it! Wishing you sound colleagues, customers and contractors!