This is the first in a series of posts about the kind of talk that’s destructive in a working environment. Here we talk about gossip.
- First, the definition of gossip: Gossip is any talk about another person which does not make any difference. For example, talking about someone to their boss might not be gossip, if the boss can help modify the behavior. However, complaining to a co-worker who can’t help the situation is damaging gossip.
- To stop gossip, recognize when you or the person you are speaking to is gossiping then do one of the following
- Stop the conversation.
- Set up a meeting with the person who you are speaking about, so you can get the problem resolved.
- In every business situation, you want to differentiate the kind of talk that moves the action forward from the kind of talk that is a waste of time (in the best case) or damaging (as if wasting time weren’t already a form of damage.)
Tomorrow’s talk will be on “The Worm”.