You're My Team

There's an old saying: "Those who speak, don't know; and those who know, don't speak."

I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that by and large the gossip mongers doesn't care who really knows what as long as they've got a quote.  Even if it's not a direct quote.  Just something they can make seem important and makes it look like they're in the know. 

For those that I've worked with on a variety of issues to the teams I've played on, I tell each of them the same thing.  There is a huge importance on being a cohesive unit, and not speaking ill of those on our team.  Should issues arise, we speak to one another not outsiders. 

We're a group.  We're a team.  From the CEO and captains to team leads on through, we're a team...We win together, we lose together, we celebrate and we mourn together.  And defeats are softened and victories sweetened because we did them together...And if you don't like this team... then, there's the door...

It's great to be in the know.  It's great to have the scoop, to have the skinny, to be able to share inside information with another, or to vent when you have a frustration.  However should you take that information to be cruel or just to say, "I know something you don't know about so and so..." leaving the gossip mongers to become your fans and you sell out the team... You create an environment of mistrust and prejudice, and it'll be embarrassing to me and embarrassing to the team.  It will place stress upon the person you've gossiped about, and it will piss me off.  I won't huff and puff.  I won't take anyone's head off.  I simply say this: you're my guys.  And I'm yours... and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, so do not let me down.