By Nancy Friedman, Founder, Chairman, Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, Keynote Customer Service Speaker

Why it’s important to be a double checker.

A while back I was sitting in my office & there was a knock on my door. It was one of our fairly new employees. She asked, “Do you have a moment to speak Nancy?”

“Of course,” I said and asked her to sit down.

She stumbled and stammered and because she was a fairly new employee of six months or less I wanted to help her along. “Looks like something is bothering you,” I said, “please know you’re in a safe room.”

“Well,” she said, “I’m very upset. I know I’ve only been here six months; however, I’m giving you notice.”

I almost dropped my coffee cup.

“What happened? You’re doing so well,” I said.

She said, “Well, at lunch the other day, a few of the ladies were telling me what’s going on here and I don’t agree with what they said, so I felt it best if I leave.”

“What did they say,” I asked.  She shared that information and then I asked, “Who told you that?” She said she’d rather not say.

I couldn’t blame her; however, I did stop and let her know none of what she heard was true that it would never happen in this office. As president of this company, I say that with conviction, and knowledge of the facts.

She said, “Well in that case I think I’ll stay.”

I said, “No, I’d rather you didn’t. It would’ve been so easy for you to come to me first and see if what you had heard was true. You chose to listen to gossip though.”

I let her walk and I hope there’s a lesson there somewhere.

Apologies: I do not have the author for this piece below:

My name is Gossip.

I have no respect for justice.

I maim without killing.

I break hearts and ruin lives.

I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.

The more I am quoted the more I am believed.

I flourish at every level of society.

My victims are helpless.

They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.

To track me down is impossible.

The harder you try, the more elusive I become.

I am nobody’s friend.

Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.

I topple governments and ruin marriages.

I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartache and indigestion.

I spawn suspicion and generate grief.

I make innocent people cry in their pillows.

Even my name hisses.

I AM CALLED GOSSIP.

Nancy Friedman

Nancy Friedman, customer service keynote speaker, is founder and chairman of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training and a featured speaker at franchise, association, and corporate meetings around the world. A popular TV guest, she appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, FOX News, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning, as well as hundreds of other radio, television and print outlets around the world, including the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. The author of 9 books on her chosen topics, Nancy helps corporate America improve their communications with their customers & co-workers. www.nancyfriedman.com