Whatever your job may be, there will be times when confidential information comes to you. When you hear people discuss the subject – and when they are incorrect – what do you do?
Forget correcting them or giving any indication that you know something about the situation.
The rumor mill is constantly grinding out speculation. But rumors are a fact of business life. They are something of a communications system and are often right, or almost right.
If you are a supervisor, you should pay close attention to rumors. They give you an indication of how people may feel about a certain subject.
If you aren’t the boss, you could let management know about the hearsay and anxiety you’re picking up, advises psychoanalyst Kerry Sulkowicz of the Boswell Group, which advises on the psychological aspects of business.
When someone asks you if a rumor is true, simply tell them you don’t know if it is true and leave it at that.
Never drop hints that you know more than you can tell. Fact is, you might well not know the whole story.