Is it Gossip or Conversation?

People talk. They talk behind your back. They talk about you. They talk about your leadership decisions. It’s normative. Expect it. And don’t call this talk gossip. Most of the time it’s not.

If you’re a leader, then you probably lean towards being a control freak. It’s expected. Laissez-faire leaders don’t typically last long. In many ways, leadership is simply interference with the status quo. When people talk, you want to shape the conversation. That’s healthy. That’s leadership.

What is not healthy is how often leaders can gripe about conversations as if it’s gossip every time someone says something about them while not in their presence. Get over it. Dialogue is not gossip. In fact, discussions are usually good signs. It means you’re doing something that causes people to talk. But how can you discern between gossip (which is clearly a sin) and conversation (which is not sinful)?   Continue at Sam Rainer