Rumors are always the start of something bad. So what causes them in the first place? I’d like to suggest that short of the truth, people will make up the story they believe to be true especially when it deals with a subject in an organization. One of the key responsibilities we have as leaders is to keep the truth ahead of the story. Leaders need to be mindful of the “tidbits” of information they share and of what information they don’t share. The most effective way to keep the truth ahead of the story is through regular communications. For many, communication looks like an email or a memo and for others, it’s communicating in person or by video. The old saying is that the truth will set you free and in this case, you will be free from rumor. If your organization is facing still uncertain times, be truthful about what is happening and do not speculate. Leaving people with your speculation of what is to come will only set free their minds to build upon it and generate stories of their own. Rumors can have wide spread effects on an organization and easily take on a life of their own as each person adds a little of their story to the one being spun. The rumor mill can only be defeated by fact, our job, as the leader is to fill them with facts.

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.“ Proverbs 18:8

Who doesn’t love a juicy bit of gossip? We love to fill in the blank when someone asks, “did you hear?” God gave us the Ten Commandments, in which He warns us about how we should treat our neighbors. Pretty soon the rumors we pass on become our truths and then these “truths” will start to fill our lives. Rumors are the devil’s work and he loves for us to spread them. When we do, we become more concerned about the rumor we’re spreading and less about the real truths that God has placed before us. These “choice morsels” start to fill us and soon we’ll no longer need the truth to feel satisfied. God has communicated the truth to us through His inspired word of the bible. If the truth is what stops rumors, then we need to know the truth; which we do by reading the word of God. Be filled with His truths and not those of the devil. Take in more than morsels and let it go down to the inmost parts so that you are satisfied and nourished by God’s word.