Sara Anderson

"If someone tells you something juicy, knowledge is power," says Sara Anderson, a human resources manager at Sun Microsystems."Do you want to be successful on your own or at another person's expense?"If the rumors are about you or could affect your standing-e.g., your department is next on the layoff list-keep a cool head, and evaluate the reliability of the source.Don't get distracted from your job, or the rumor about your impending layoff could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

THE BACKSTABIt's sad when you have to worry about someone being too nice, but it happens.