An acquaintance of the great philosopher Socrates came one day to tell him what he had just heard about a friend.
Before allowing him to tell his story, he made him pass a test, the one of the three sieves.
- Before you tell me your story, said Socrates, let’s try to filter it:
The First Sieve is the Sieve of Truth. Is it true?
The Second Sieve is the Sieve of Kindness. Is it kind?
The Third Sieve is the Sieve of Usefulness. Is it useful?
The acquaintance answered “no” to all three questions.
–Then, concluded Socrates, if what you have to tell me is neither true, or kind or useful, why bother telling me at all?
Be careful and be kind before you tell stories about your colleagues or superiors. It’s worth taking the time to filter what we wish to say. Avoid hallway noise and toxic rumours, since we are all responsible, on a day- to-day basis, of our workplace atmosphere.