Erica McGinnis- President and CEO, AIG Advisor Group
Advice:
Learn to Keep Other People’s Secrets
Everyone knows being labeled a gossip is a bad thing. But we are all guilty of it from time to time. You might think this is only something that plagues the younger generations – 7th grade girls for example – but it is not. In the workplace I have seen countless examples of people who cannot keep a secret; cannot hold some piece of information confidential; or simply cannot let a rumor die with them.
One of the most important qualities a person can have in the workplace is loyalty. Loyalty to their leader and to the other people on the team. To be loyal, you must:
· be honest
· tell the truth
· keep your promises
So when you say “I promise I won’t tell anyone”… mean it. No matter how tempting. In the workforce, these kinds of things have a way of coming around to bite you, just like they did in the 7th grade. But the consequences are higher when you get older. No manager will take a chance on you and promote you if you have a reputation as the “office gossip”.