Before you react to a rumor, find out who started it and why. The motive tells you how to respond.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
A rumor carries two pieces of information, and the one everyone argues about is the less useful one. Where it came from tells you what it is for: boredom, a grudge, someone covering for themselves, someone repeating a thing they half heard. What fits a grudge looks nothing like what fits a misunderstanding.
Give yourself a day before answering anything going around about you. Ask one person you trust who they heard it from and walk it back a step or two. Then decide whether this needs a correction, a conversation, or only time and no more fuel.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Who started the last rumor you believed without checking?
MORE IN STRATEGY, SILENCE & POWER
- If they know exactly what makes you mad, they know exactly how to move you. Keep that map private.
- Every dollar you spend to impress someone is a vote for their opinion over your future.
- The loudest brand at school isn’t always the strongest one. Ask who everyone texts when something actually goes wrong.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.