“Trust, but verify”- quoted by Ronald Reagan (orig. Russian Proverb)
I enjoy authoring these blogs and find the most rewarding part is the research I do to help with the topics that I am passionate about. Learning new things is so important for brain health especially since we CDM, CFPPs work in an environment that is fast-paced and challenging. We need to replenish our “bag of tricks” as managers on a routine basis! Garbage in, garbage out! How do we sort through it–the things we hear and see every day? EDUCATE yourself and others. We are never too old to learn. Let’s look at the three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil! YOUR grapevine….
What do you know about grapevine gossip? Here is what Google has to say!
Grapevine gossip: This is gossip pertaining to general changes occurring within a workplace. Someone started it and now it is running about like wildfire. Usually this happens in an uncertain environment and is fueled by fear, poor communications from management levels, and wild guesses by staff.
Two Irrefutable Truths
1. If there is no information readily available, people will make it up.
2. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to eliminate the organization’s rumor mill.
When lacking information, human nature leads us down the path of assuming the worst. This pure speculation takes on a life of its own and the worst possible scenarios are played out at the water cooler and trickle over into our social media feeds. Here are some ideas of how to curb “misdirected enthusiasm” within your community!
Share What you Know
Even if it’s just preliminary or partial information, you can greatly improve the information circulating through your grapevine by simply sharing what you know, as long as it is true, and not something that is confidential. Information accompanied by the caveat “not yet final” is better than no information at all. The vast majority can accept that preliminary information is subject to change and will readily accept amendments later.
Be Strategic About “Feeding” Information – YOUR GTS
We know that every organization has a “Grapevine Transmission System (GTS) in which certain individuals are skilled at “expediting” the transmission of information through the grapevine.” Imagine this, controlling your “tear’or hotline” harnessing the energy that is used for persons “going on a tear” over some topic that has them frustrated.
As healthcare professionals, we are involved with many disciplines, organizations, and associations, and we participate on various social media sites. Our lives outside of work also place us in social groups that share and disseminate information. How we manage and sort through this information is not something that we are born with but that we acquire over time.
As CDM, CFPPs and leaders, we are viewed as being in the “know” and need to be sure we do our due diligence in determining what is true and untrue and to decipher fact from fiction. I have always appreciated a nurse consultant colleague of mine; whenever we join forces for a facility-wide mock survey, she repeats this same phrase when we work with the community’s management team: “trust but verify!”
I like to add to these three words my ABC’s: Assume nothing, Believe no one, Check everything!
Stay healthy and sane everyone!