Q: After a team member left the company, I found indications that he was trash talking about me with other team members. Now I am having trouble trusting them and their loyalty to me and the team. How can I handle this?
Francis, 40, head of communications
A: It doesn't pay to write off your team based on your departed staff member's behavior.
Think about it this way. If you were part of the team and fell under this type of suspicion, would it feel fair? Then consider if you'd tried to shut down the disgruntled employee or bring him around to be more positive. It would be very discouraging to be mistrusted.
Given that, what would it take for you to give these folks the benefit of the doubt?
Take conscious steps to focus on the brighter side. Person by person, think about their positive attributes and behaviors. Separate your thinking about them from this incident to help yourself move on.
Some may have gotten caught up in the negativity. If you haven't seen any behavioral manifestations, consider just moving on from it.
If it continues, you'll need to confront the perpetrator to end the corrosive style of interaction.