Having said that, it is important to keep in mind that rumours are not necessarily destructive. For the truly skilled businessman, rumors can be harnessed and manipulated in a way that can either divert negative attention or fuel positive energy. As Malcolm Gladwell suggests in his influential book The Tipping Point, trends and attitudes can turn on a coin. In many cases, word of mouth is the catalyst that shifts public opinion, causing new trends or ideas to tip and spread virally throughout social groups, businesses or even society at large.
So that’s the theory, but let’s shift gears and focus on the vicious office rumor that threatens to eat away at your reputation like an aggressive cancer. What can you do if, for example, some nasty dude with the same experience as you applies for the promotion you covet, and then he goes and drops a few bombs in the rumour mill about, say, the fact that you got arrested on suspicions of some shit some time back? What can you do to destroy rumours, even if it happens to be true? Let’s take a look.
Evaluate the Rumor
The first thing you need to gauge is the rumour’s stage. If all you’re dealing with is some petty office gossip, forget about it. Ignore the rumour and let it fizzle naturally.
Since gossip is generally derogatory (e.g, you failed to meet your deadline because of your alcoholism or because you’re diddling the secretary), you might take a step back and look at whether your company suffers from a systematic lack of trust. In offices where gossip runs rampant, it often reflects an organizational failure to communicate. Even if some gossip is truthful, it shouldn’t be able to spread virally even if it’s the talk of the water cooler for a few days. Any organization that communicates openly also destroys the lifespan of rumors because only a few people care about them. Not only that, it’s easier to eliminate a few shit disturbers than it is to deal with a rotten core...
If upper management is completely divorced from the little man, it becomes difficult to weed out nasty little rumours because the little man hasn’t been trusted enough to feel integral in the grand scheme of things. After all, we all need to feel like an involved and contributing member of our organization, no matter how small our role.
If, on the other hand, the rumour has already reached its critical mass and seems to be spreading like wildfire, you’d better take it seriously and begin to investigate. Eventually, you’ll likely have to rely on a few trusted confidants, but when facing a real doozy of a rumour, it’s a good idea to begin by talking to a few people who are blunt and believe the rumour about you is true. Loyal allies may sympathize and they may be willing to defend you, whereas neutral loudmouths have nothing to lose or gain from answering your questions honestly. As a first step, this will help you gauge whether people around the office believe the rumour. Then you can proceed and destroy rumours.
Avoid Frantic Denials
Panic ridden and frantic denials simply make you seem guilty of the rumour you’re trying to disprove, and won’t help you in learning to destroy rumours. Since most rumours are like a game of broken telephone and start off being true before degenerating into nonsense, you should be able to track down the original idea. If you’re being honest with yourself, you should know where the truth lies and strategize from there.
Also, because most people take rumours with a grain of salt and look for further evidence to support the rumour, an aggressive denial will often function like a confession. If you don’t believe me on this point, just think about the way you’ve judged all those politicians who’ve denied ever being involved in any corruption or unscrupulous dealings despite a mountain of allegations against them. In the end, even though a great deal of the evidence is hearsay, when we hear the denial, all we think is "liar."
Get Delegates to Quash the Rumour
If the rumour proves to be persistent and it begins to impact your rapport with colleagues, you need to put a few trusted delegates to work. At this stage of the game, let’s assume that your back is against the wall and you have very few sympathizers who buy your side of the story. In this case, you may have to plant a few positive rumours about yourself.
If you have a fairly straight past to lean on, your friends can help clear your name by reminding people that they have no reason to exercise harsh judgment against you. Remember, the majority of people will recall their most immediate association, so if you can shoehorn a few good deeds into the mix, it will take some of the heat off the detrimental rumour. If, on the other hand, the tidal wave of momentum against you is too strong, you may have to stand up and address the rumour.
Put It Out In The Open (but don’t whine)
Although the time may come when you are forced to put the rumour out in the open and acknowledge it, it is futile (not to mention pathetic) to start whining about the harm it is doing to your reputation. In other words, don’t bother screaming slander and tossing around threats of a lawsuit. After all, if you’ve tried every avenue to destroy rumours and they’re still doggedly pursuing you, chances are pretty good that you’ve contributed to it in some way, and although you may hold a grudge against the rat who brought it to light, no single person is responsible for the way a rumour infiltrates a social circle.
For these reasons, your last resort if you want to destroy rumours is to be like Bill Clinton and admit some degree of guilt. If you choose this course of action, it is good to remember that despite his impeachment, Bill Clinton has emerged in the collective consensus as a hero and a loved past president who just happened to diddle the intern.
the audacious truth
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