Rumors can really cause havoc in a company. Thankfully, negative thinking can help!
I became a negative thinking thanks to my dad. He’s not a negative type person, but he would just say some of the weirdest things.
His favorite was “I AM NOT YELLING!!” which of course he was. Another one was “I am sorry, but I am not going to apologize.” So let me get this straight, your apologizing for not apologizing which makes that…you got it…an apology. The man is a genius.
He would also make answers up just to see how you would react.
One time, when I was 6 or so, we drove to Florida. Somewhere near Georgia or so I saw these long strips on the side of the road. I asked my dad what they were. They were strips of tires, but my dad told me they were “alligator skins.” “See an alligator’s base core temperature is 78 degrees and when it gets hotter than that it just peels a layer off and settles back into the swamp to cool off.”
Ok. At 6 years old, at 60 miles an hour, you’ll believe that. But this is the same man who told me yellow snow was lemon flavored. Trust me, it’s not even close. And when we finally made it to florida, and we got to the hotel, he told me the light on the phone (you know the one that tells you “you have a message”) was for deaf people. “You see, when the phone rings, the light blinks and they know when to answer it.”
What?!?
If they can’t hear the phone ring, who are they talking to??
But by doing this he did teach me a valuable lesson. Never take anything at face value. Which takes us to today’s subject: Rumors.
Never take a rumor at face value. Verify. Go to the source, cut through the BS and find the truth. I can’t tell you not to gossip at the office, because information is important in the workplace and you need to know what’s going on behind the scenes. Don’t just regurgitate rumors to the next person. Rumors feed off speculation. The less you know about a rumor, the more it can spin wildly out of control and grow. It’s okay to be skeptical. If someone walks up to and says something that sounds outrageously wrong (I’ve worked with someone like this), it’s okay to politely nod your head and not believe them. The key is to go verify. Like good journalists are supposed to do, check your sources. Get a second person, sometimes a third person to verify information.
Rumors can be hurtful, incorrect and fun to talk about. All at the same time! But try not to indulge your inner gossipmonger. It usually only leads to trouble. Simple follow the 3 L’s.
Listen, lookup and learn.
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“If someone walks up to and says something that sounds outrageously wrong (I’ve worked with someone like this)”….who are you referring to in your office? Man that could start its own avalanche crashing down on Rumorville!
Dads are so cool. I can’t wait to be a dad so I can spill all my great knowledge (lies) to my offspring!