Dealing with corporate rumours

On my return from Australia recently, my friend Asif invited me to his office. He shuddered as he lowered his voice to a whisper to inform me, "Mahtab Bhai your name has come up in the Panama file case, do you know that?" He even went on to show me the news on the internet! Even our central bank raised a question about my nomination as independent director of a listed company citing the above.

Meanwhile, another corporate friend of mine asked whether I was involved in an IPO scandal of my former company along with one of my dear friends! This continued in the days to follow where I was thrown askew I-know-your-secret looks if not confronted with direct curiosity!

Corporate rumours come and go; sometimes it takes longer for the dust to settle while others pass as quickly as they come. But I say it is best to learn to wear your mettle with the corporate grapevine.

In recent months I had a fair share of experiences that had me thinking how one can equip oneself to deal with harmful corporate rumours. As for the aforementioned rumours, both were obviously totally false.

In the case of the Panama file news, unfortunately my first name happened to match with that of another, and in the other case, I can simply appreciate the creativity of the creator of the rumour. To my amazement such rumours are spreading like wildfire ever since I left my last job. How does one feel when such corporate rumours hit you – completely dejected, demotivated, down, and more importantly powerless to move forward!

Needless to say, a super active corporate grapevine can distort facts to such an extent that it can totally stifle the truth until the distorted version somehow gains the power to squeeze future career opportunities of its victims.

Research by Stanford University's Robb Willer shows that we take negative gossip about others seriously because we view it as useful information that can protect us. The result is that when someone spreads false rumours about you, it's hard to shake off that scar on your reputation. This can damage your personal and professional opportunities, not to mention the heavy toll on your stress level.

I call myself fortunate that such rumours and challenges fail to rob me off a good night's sleep or my spirit to move forward! However, not all victims of corporate gossip can remain unscathed by its vicious forces. And I hope this article would come to some use to this latter group who can take some learning to deal with it and emerge with minimum damage.

My first advice is to keep your emotions at bay and ride on positivity albeit how challenging it may get. It is imperative to remember that there is not much one can do about situations of the past.

It is common to respond with fear, anger, nervousness and helplessness when confronted with the force of such harmful gossip.

And this is especially true if the rumour is false as was in the above cases.

In such a situation you either want to fight or shut down. For me, it was to move forward without looking at the rear-view mirror.

My second advice is to foster forgiveness and sympathy, soft as these words may sound, they can be highly effective. When you forgive someone, the person who benefits the most, is you. It can help you to move on and improve your well-being.

Another advice is to play the long-term game. Your professional reputation and your relationships with coworkers and stakeholders that really count had not developed overnight, rather it took years of trust and goodwill.

One such rumour or disruption can prove to be harmful in the short term, but it is bound to fade in the long run. It is wiser to have faith in time as time always tells the truth. Therefore, it is best to resort to your sense of humour and play the comedy card when confronted with an awkward situation.

Another interesting side to this long-term game is that it creates an opportunity to test the loyalty of people around you. You will find that your family, your true friends and the group who had a similar experience will be by your side as you move forward.

At the same time, it is undoubtedly wiser to avoid people whose presence or attitude can provoke negativity in you during such a transition.

While avoiding rumours and hearsay is perfect practice in the corporate life, it is not always possible to keep yourself safe from the gossip mill.

Hence, the best practice is to address the rumour with calm, patience and honesty as opposed to being reactive. And last but not the least, I don't know who is worse – the person who is full of envy and malice spreading rumours and lies or one who thrives on shallow knowledge and common sense to believe in them.

The author is a telecom and management expert.