05.09.09 The 7th Leadership Practice for Managing Negative Gossip : Be Assertive

Be Assertive

Being assertive requires that a supervisor confidently conveys his or her position and that of the organisation regarding negative gossip;, in a direct, honest, calm and positive manner, without dilly-dallying or getting emotional.

Miriam had an assertive nature. We see that character when she met the Egyptian princess for instance (Exodus 2:7). Therefore, I wish to suggest that she had what it takes to stand in her position as ‘big sis’ and assertively stop her brother Aaron from gossiping against Moses.

For the case of JuaLink, you may have realised that the director of Business Development, Eliya, was not assertive enough to stop Lulu from gossiping against Faraja, despite the fact that he really did not like the publicity officer’s habit. Had the director been firm about the fact that gossip would not be tolerated, some of Lulu’s ‘gossip-visits’ to his office would have been curtailed.

Therefore, in order to manage negative gossip, be assertive by ‘saying what you mean and meaning what you say’, using the organisation’s policy as a reference if it is in place. Let your team members know that employees’ personal issues are beyond the scope of the office; and that such discussions will not be entertained. Be stern and firm about it. Remember to constantly remind them that you are collectively and inclusively creating a work culture that will not support negative gossip. Sell the benefits of such a culture to individual members, the team, department, organisation and the entity as a whole.