Consider this: whatever word of mouth is circulating inside your organization is leaking out to the general community. Are your patients or potential customers hearing what you want them to hear?

In an online Harris Interactive Health Care Poll, researchers found that reputation was the top indicator of quality of hospital care. When it comes to judging quality of physician care, word of mouth is the runaway winner.

As a leader, you are in a remarkable position to wield the power of word of mouth. This book will help you understand and employ word of mouth to achieve leadership success. It includes practical strategies for building and spreading positive word of mouth, as well as approaches for managing the negative influence of gossip and rumor.

Topics covered include:

• Identifying the "talkers" who get listened to in your organization and in the community
• Connecting with grapevine leaders to inspire them to brag for your organization
• Using your personal influence to support your organization's reputation
• Establishing a cross-functional team for the reputation-building process
• Managing the damaging effects of gossip and rumor Monitoring the grapevine for early warning signs of impending problems
• Correcting inaccurate rumors and replace them with factual information
• Managing the unfolding story during crisis situations