I’ve talked about rumors before, which was a basic way of saying you don’t need to believe everything you hear. But rumors are going to happen. How you choose to utilize rumors is the key to success.
When rumors are personal and petty, they are poisonous. Steer clear of those kinds of rumors and certainly do not repeat them, it’ll only end up badly for you. But it is important to know what’s going on in a company.
Water cooler talk can be valuable to you personally. You can identify resources in your company. Does Dave always seem to know what’s going on before it happens? Does he tell you things that somehow always come true? He’s a valuable resource, an information agent you can rely on. But Martin, he says a lot of things too. They always seem to be outrageous and never come to pass.
“Pack your things, we’re all getting canned tomorrow.” He’s said that more than once in the past 3 years. We now know he is an ignorant twit and to take anything he says with a grain of salt.
Rumors can get wildly out of control if management allows them to go unchecked. But knowing who you can go to to get the skinny can be career saving. Don’t spend your time rumor mongering, but identify reliable sources. It also verifies the wannabes who never have the right stuff.
