Gossip Is A Virus ...

Gossip is a virus --it starts one way and then mutates like the Covid-19 Delta variant. It can spread and can kill a reputation or slow down advancement. Gossip ruins morale, starts unfounded rumors, and is bad for business. Everyone involved either actively or passively becomes a victim. The impact of gossip might contribute to depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and all sorts of things that are not good. I tell all of this to say, “no good can come from gossiping.”

Excerpt From The Poem “My Name Is Gossip”

"The more I am quoted the more I am believed. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody's friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it's never the same."

A Great Reminder ...
I ran across this poem while programming a station that shall remain nameless. At the time I thought it would quash rumors being spread among my air staff. Having always been a night person, I was at the station after midnight. While there I decided to run off some copies to hand out at the next day’s air staff meeting. The copier I normally used was out of toner, so I unlocked the sales office, used the copier, locked up, and left.

Odd Time For A Meeting ...
When I got to the station in the morning, the salespeople were having a meeting. I thought it was odd because it was Tuesday, and they had their weekly meetings on Mondays. I happened to be walking by the conference room when their meeting ended. I asked the sales manager what was up. He told me to step into his office.

He Told Me ...
He closed the door and said, "My entire sale team is up in arms accusing each other of spreading gossip." My response, “Huh.” His reply, “Yeah, someone left a gossip poem on the desk next to the copier in sales. We guess it's someone's way of saying they don't appreciate what's being said about them around the office. Everyone has been at each other’s throat all morning"

I Got Distracted ...
As I left his office, it came to me what had happened. I had made a phone call from the sales office while making copies of the gossip piece. The call distracted me, and I accidentally left a copy of the gossip poem at the desk I used to make a call from. There was no way I could confess. However, something good did come out it, the sales folks became a lot closer after the incident.

He said...She said... I Heard ...
Hearsay is gossip --unless you can read minds or overhear a complete conversation, you have no idea what is real or not. My advice, worry about you and your work performance. Some co-workers will say things purposely to discourage or keep you down; don't fall for it. Then there are the innocent pawns who repeat things not realizing what they are passing could cause innuendo and damage reputations.

You Control You ...
You can’t control what others say, but you can control what comes out of your mouth. There are those who will always talk about what they don’t know or what they have heard, but it is not necessary to become a part of the problem and perpetuate unsubstantiated incidents as fact. The implications of such loose gossip could go nowhere or set off a chain reaction of consequences with potentially damaging results.