How Gossip Kills Your Bottom Line
Posted on October 23, 2015 by Jack Perry Jr, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
Why gossip is detrimental to your team's overall success and what you can do about it.
Have you ever encountered that employee who loves to immerse themselves in office gossip? The one that seems to have all the answers to everyone else’s problems, but their own? This type of gossiper will usually gather a herd around them and spew their thoughts and misinformed beliefs on everyone else as if they are in the “know.” They have secret meetings and lunches, and flutter around the cubicles to tell you about the latest “news” regarding the company, or someone in particular. They may talk about an assortment of things, from who is getting fired to what the company’s bottom line is, and even their thoughts on when the next layoff will occur.
You name it, they know it – at least they think they do. A gossiper will lure you into a false sense of trust and often has difficulty taking responsibility for their own life and actions.
Over the years, and in my travels working with employees, executives and soldiers, I have encountered and dealt with the gossiper. I have seen what they’re capable of, and have also been a victim of their tendencies.
What I have learned in my experiences, however, is that all of these gossipers share one common trait – they are unhappy and unsatisfied with their own lives. It’s why they may feel like they can put down others, almost like a bully in a school playground. The gossiper will continuously aim to fill their emptiness by trying to drag others, who are willing to listen, into their fold. But chances are those willing to listen are probably in the same emotional boat as the gossipers.
The Law of the Universe says, “You attract into your life what you are.” That couldn’t be more right.
So how do you combat the gossiper, you may ask. Well the straight answer is, you don’t. Yes, you read that correctly. You don’t try to take on that type of individual, but instead disarm them by saying something as benign or as simple as, “Jack, if you have something to say about Sally, why don’t you just go talk to her, instead of talking about her? Would you like me to introduce the two of you?” Another tactic is to redirect the conversation onto something more purposeful and worthwhile. “So Jack, how is that TPS report coming along? I hear you are doing a great job on it.”
A gossiper cannot survive without an audience. A simple tactic such as those mentioned will disarm the gossiper, and as a result, leave them in a state of powerlessness. If they are willing to talk ill of others, chances are they will, or already have, started talking ill of you.
If you are the gossiper, however, be prepared to answer some tough questions, because if any type of legal or HR investigation were to take place as a result of something you said or implied, management will be heading in your direction.
So be careful what you say to others, or in this case, what you probably shouldn’t say. You’ll be thankful you didn’t.
