Four psychiatrists shared a hotel suite at a convention. Talking one night, one of them said, "You know, people are always telling us their troubles, but we have no one to talk to about our problems."

Another psychiatrist agreed. "Let's tell each other our biggest problems and see if that makes us feel better. I'll start. I confess that sometimes I want to laugh at my patients for being so naive."

The second one said, "My problem is that I'm usually drunk when I see my patients, and half the time I can't follow what they're saying, so I just nod and say, 'Go on.'"

The third psychiatrist admitted, "I overcharge my patients so I can afford my big house, my fancy car and my vices."

The last one said, "My biggest problem is that I can't keep a secret."

And who wouldn't be tempted to share those juicy tidbits? Well, if you want to be successful, the wisest action would be to forget you ever heard them, and never repeat one syllable of those confessions. But we live in an imperfect world where gossip is often the only form of conversation that some people seem able to conduct.

Gossip has replaced news in many media. It's big business. Outlets like TMZ and celebrity gossip programs get huge ratings. Social media has made the truth a rare commodity, as people can share harmful gossip and rumors in an instant from anywhere in the world. And the truth gets lost in the whirlwind.

The gossip business may be red-hot, but office gossip is mostly bad for business. The workplace should be a no-gossip zone. But when it is not, consequences include lost productivity and wasted time, erosion of trust and morale, damaged reputations, dissension among employees and even the loss of good employees who leave companies due to unhealthy work environments.

Gossip and rumors have been part of the workplace culture since ancient Egypt. Although a certain amount of personal chitchat goes on in any workplace, gossiping employees can erode trust among co-workers and infect a team with hostility.

Before rumors gain a foothold in your organization, take some proactive steps.

Make sure your general company communications are efficient and as complete as possible. Employees will believe rumors if they don't have access to facts. Even in tough times, give your people as much information as you can so they can rely on solid data, not half-truths. If you can't share news, explain why, so you don't appear to be hiding anything.

Always confront rumors directly. If you catch wind of an untrue rumor, address it promptly. Go to the source and set him or her straight, explaining the damage that false information can cause. Clear up any confusion with your entire workforce right away. They may think twice about spreading or believing rumors if they know you're ready to step in.

Set the right example. Don't listen to gossip that comes your way. Either correct any misinformation immediately, or explain that you're not interested in rumors. Don't pass along any unsubstantiated stories yourself. Let the gossip stop with you. If people persist in spreading rumors, suggest that they need more work to do.

Sometimes the harm that gossip inflicts is irrevocable. It is critical to nip it in the bud.

Perhaps you are familiar with this Hasidic folktale: For months, a man slandered the rabbi of his village. When the High Holy Days approached, the man realized the enormous evil he had committed and, overcome with remorse, sought out the rabbi and begged for forgiveness.

The rabbi told the man he would forgive him on one condition: that he go back to his house, cut up a feather pillow, scatter the feathers to the wind and then return. The man raced home, followed the rabbi's instructions and returned to the rabbi's residence.

"Am I forgiven now?" he asked.

"One more thing," the rabbi answered. "Now I want you to go out and gather up all the feathers."

"But that's impossible," the man said. "They are scattered everywhere."

"Precisely," said the rabbi. "And though you truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it's just as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers."

Mackay's Moral: People who gossip are usually caught in their own mouth traps.

There's an old saying that goes: If you can dream it, you can achieve it. That's a good start, but I think that statement needs a qualifier. I would add a few words: If you can dream it, you can achieve it if you are truly determined.

Visualization is an important strategy for accomplishing dreams large or small. I believe it is an essential tool for maximizing your potential. But it needs to be workable.

For example, I can imagine myself competing in the Ryder Cup, the biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. I'm a pretty fair golfer, and I would love to represent America in winning style. Sadly, even though I was a competitive golfer back in high school and college, my glory days are long over. So I will be content to watch the competition and cheer on my countrymen.

And therein is the difference between fantasy and visualization.

I have used visualization throughout my life as a means of seeing my dreams realized. In business, I saw myself running a factory even though I had modest means and little experience. But I was willing to work myself to exhaustion and slog through the trenches to achieve my goal.

Part of the reason my visualization was effective was that I also foresaw some of the problems that I would encounter, which were abundant at the beginning. Foremost in my mind was how to work through challenges and still come out on top. I imagined what could go wrong, and how I could take charge of the situation.

I tried to prepare for every possible hurdle, because wrestling with a problem isn't always the best way to generate a creative solution. Step back and quietly visualize the answer you're looking for. These are the steps I follow:

-- Focus on what you want. This sounds easy, but keeping your mind free of obstacles and distractions can be difficult. Try to clear your thoughts of everything but the outcome you need. Don't fight negative thoughts -- just let them flow out of your brain so you can concentrate on the positive.

-- Make a movie in your mind. We tend to see things in pictures more strongly than we can visualize abstract concepts like numbers and theories. Think of your problem in visual terms and try looking at it and your solutions from different angles. Bring your senses into play: Imagine what your idea would feel like, sound like or even smell like.

-- Take your time. The solution may not come all at once. Give yourself time to get used to the process so you're not forcing ideas too hard. With practice, you'll learn how to quickly relax your mind and let it explore problems and situations without effort.

"Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success," says sports psychologist Rob Gilbert.

Two-time Olympic pentathlete Marilyn King provides a very moving example of how powerful the conscious use of picturing what you want can be.

When King was preparing for the 1980 Olympic trials, she suffered a severe back injury and was confined to bed just months before the trials. She was determined not to let this injury keep her from performing, so she spent her time doing nothing but watching films of the best performers in the pentathlon events and visualizing herself going through the same events.

Amazingly, she placed second at the Olympic trials despite her lack of physical preparation. She credited her psychological state, not her physical condition, which resulted in her victory. She said, "If you can't imagine it, you can't ever do it. In my experience the image always precedes the reality."

I know several real estate developers. They have amazing powers of visualization. They can look at a piece of property and see skyscrapers, apartment buildings, schools and a host of other construction projects. They can see the placement of the roads, the style of the streetlamps, and the people who will populate the newly built space.

They can also see the issues they will face with city planners, construction delays and environmental assessments. But they are undaunted, because they have seen all this in their mind's eye. And they know that they can make it work.

As Thomas Edison said, "Good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation." I'll take his word for it -- I suspect Edison's power of visualization was immense.

Mackay's Moral: Seeing is believing -- if you believe in yourself.

Lucy, the constant critic of Charlie Brown in the comic strip "Peanuts," is one of my favorite characters because she always says exactly what is on her mind.

Peeved at Charlie, she told him in one strip: "You are a foul ball in the line drive of life."

She is just as tough on her little brother Linus.

"Why are you always criticizing me?" Linus asks Lucy.

"Because I just think I have a knack for seeing other people's faults," Lucy says.

"What about your own faults?" replies Linus.

Without hesitation, Lucy answers right back, "I have a knack for overlooking them."

Criticism, even when offered as a helpful suggestion, is often unwelcome. It's hard to accept that your efforts are unappreciated or fail to meet expectations.

One of my favorite sayings is, "No one ever kicks a dead dog," which means you have to be doing something to get criticized. My point is not to take criticism personally. When a coach or a friend or a boss is criticizing you, it usually means they really care, and even though it may not feel like it, they want to help you.

According to an old saying, "Criticism is something you can avoid easily -- by saying nothing, doing nothing and being nothing."

Obviously, that isn't an option for anyone who wants to be successful in business or as a leader. Good leaders are active, and their actions frequently put them out front. Of course, that often draws criticism.

Even when it is meant to be constructive, criticism is sometimes difficult to deliver effectively. When you have to correct a mistake or improve an employee's performance, it is essential to get your message across without creating bigger problems.

Before you offer any criticism, think about what results or changes you need. Telling an employee, "You were totally ineffective," may be accurate, but it doesn't communicate what your expectations are. Your goal is to correct the problem, so you must think through what the employee needs to do differently.

Employees need to know exactly what they did wrong in order to improve. Explain the problem in precise terms: "You didn't bring the right equipment, which meant you took longer than necessary to complete the work."

Point out mistakes and problems, but don't dwell on them too long. Then start talking about how the employee can improve.

When an employee's performance improves, make a point of recognizing it. Reinforcing improvement will reduce the need for you to revisit the problem.

Ted Engstrom tells a story about a group of bright young men at the University of Wisconsin, who were aspiring poets, novelists and essayists. They met regularly to read and critique each other's work in sessions that became progressively more contentious. So merciless were their criticisms that the members of this exclusive club called themselves the "Stranglers."

The women of literary talent in the university started a club of their own, which they christened the "Wranglers." They also shared their work with each other, but the criticism was softer and more positive, even encouraging.

Twenty years later, an alumnus of the university did a study of the successes of the Stranglers as opposed to the Wranglers. None of the Stranglers could claim any significant literary accomplishment. The Wranglers boasted six or more successful writers including Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who wrote "The Yearling."

The talent and education levels were comparable, so why the difference? As Ted concluded, the Stranglers strangled, while the Wranglers highlighted the best, not the worst.

Successful leaders know better than to strangle, because they understand that results reflect their management skills. Constantly belittling or blaming means that either the employee isn't a good fit, or that the criticism isn't being delivered effectively.

Instead, good leaders follow the example of the Wranglers. Positive results start with a positive environment in which employees know that they will be treated with respect even when they make mistakes.

Consider the advice from the late Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics: "Never giving criticism without praise is a strict rule for me. No matter what you are criticizing, you must find something good to say ... Criticize the act, not the person."

Mackay's Moral: Constructive criticism should always build up, not tear down.