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When the newly minted managing director was told that there was unfavorable “corridor talk” about him and his organization, he asked, “Which corridor?” He was wise enough to know that it didn’t matter if there was a bit of “noise” about him; what mattered was who was listening to what. People often think that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but that’s not always true of office gossip.
Whenever human beings are grouped, they talk—and often complain—about each other. At work, such chatter is usually simple background noise, but at times it can tip off leaders to critical problems in the organization. Learning to distinguish important talk from inconsequential noise is not easy, but it is well worth the effort. When confronted with a troubling piece of information, leaders should do the following:
Consider the speaker’s motivation. Is he or she just trying to be the center of attention, perhaps at the expense of a rival? Or is the speaker reasonably impartial?
- Be careful not to take information as the truth about someone, even when it comes from a trusted place, like your human resources department. Remember that a particularly juicy piece of gossip may spread throughout your organization very quickly, so information that seems to be corroborated by many people could all come from the same faulty source.
- Model the behavior you want to see in your organization. You don’t want others to overreact or jump to conclusions, so don’t let your followers see you doing so. Keep your comments about people objective, neutral, and related to work. Pay attention to noise as an early warning, but don’t get flustered or obsessed by it.
Often the most valuable message in office chatter is not about the person being discussed. For instance, suppose someone who has done a great job for you is now talked about as sucking up or having a leg up. Maybe you said something positive about him in public or thanked him without thanking others. The real message in this chatter is for you: Don’t make so much of a fuss over one person’s contribution that others feel let down.
Sometimes, though, office gossip or its written equivalent—the anonymous letter—can let you know that someone’s work behavior is unacceptable. If someone is taking bribes, for instance, or having an affair that affects his or her coworkers, there is a compelling need for you to investigate, even though the complaint was not made through official channels. One company saved itself from serious consequences when it acted on an anonymous tip that a company attorney was harassing female employees in China. The investigation forestalled a threatened class-action lawsuit at the company’s U.S. headquarters.
There are times to pay attention to office “noise” immediately and times to watch and wait, times to question and times to squelch gossip. Wise leaders learn to tell the difference.
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