Archive for November, 2011

Eliminate the High Cost of Low Attitudes at Work

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Might you have a serious problem in your team, department or whole organization? Are good employees protected from bullies, negative complainers, toxic coworkers, subtle manipulators, nitpicking control freaks, rule-floggers, gossips, passive-aggressive stalkers, energy vampires, meeting disruptors, demanders, meddlers, micromanagers, critics,  conflict-avoidant managers, “professional victims,” Drama Queens, or jerks? Are you wasting your time and effort [...]

Should You Stop Bullies if You Feel Vindictive, Resentful?

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Amy was raised to be a nice girl.  She had learned not to act if she felt angry or if she sensed any resentful or vindictive feelings within her.  When she held back because her motives weren’t pure enough, she became easy prey for her bullying brother.

Well-Meaning, Meddling ‘Peacemakers’ can Disrupt Your Workplace

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

You want the people on your team to get along with one another and to work well together. But beware of self-appointed middle-men or peace makers.  They actually promote whining and complaining, and lead your team to wallow in emotional turmoil and dissention. For example, Carl felt it was his job as a “people person” [...]

Do Our Teenagers Have a Right to Privacy?

Sunday, November 20th, 2011

I attended a wonderful presentation on cyberbullying and sexting by an officer from a local police department.  The question came up about spying on our teenagers’ phones and computers: “Do our teenagers have a right to privacy?”  That was followed by the question: “If we spy on our teens, how can they consider us friends?  [...]

How to deal with the smiling, stealth office bully

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Overt bullies easily get our attention.  And we know exactly what we’re up against when they attack. Stealth bullies, who stab you in the back in public with a friendly smile and a laugh designed to disguise their attack as a joke, are much tougher to deal with.  In fact, it took a lot of [...]

“Nice Girls” Can’t Stop Bullies

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Almost every one of the women who’ve interviewed me on radio or TV admitted that they were raised to be “nice girls.”  Their mothers had taught them that the most important value was to be nice, polite and sweet at all times.  They should ignore or rise above bullies; feel sorry for how empty and [...]

Micromanagers just don’t know when to let up

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Harry defended himself by saying that he was following rules he’d heard in training: to increase teamwork, bring people together often; review production in your group often so you can keep people on track; give immediate feedback in public so everyone can learn from one person’s mistakes. But Harry is a micromanager.  Instead of making [...]

The Will to Stop Bullies, Stop Bullying

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Everyone has moments that matter: moments when our life can go in either direction; moments when we can choose the strength to soar to heaven or the weakness to fall into hell.  You know, those moments in which everything gets absolutely quiet and the air seems to pulse and throb with the power and weight [...]

What to do if you’re stuck with bully for boss

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

What do you do if you end up with the boss from hell? Someone like Char – critical and nasty to everyone, an equal opportunity bully.  She shot down whoever got in her sights.  But she never went after people face-to-face.  So, no one had the opportunity to question her or to present their side [...]