Hostile Workplace
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Monday, December 12th, 2011One of the typical tactics of sly, sneaky, stealthy, manipulative bullies is to work in the dark; to not be seen to be bullies. Then, when a light is shined on their abusive behavior, they claim that they were just having fun; that they were just kidding around; that they didn’t know their target was [...]
Promoting a ‘Drama Queen’ is guaranteed to create chaos
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011‘Drama Queens’ and their male counterparts may look like they’re responding quickly – rallying the troops, taking charge and solving problems. But they cause more chaos at work and create more fallout than the problems they’re reacting to. Don’t be fooled by their high energy and don’t promote them. Drama Queens come in many forms. [...]
Eliminate the High Cost of Low Attitudes at Work
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Might 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 [...]
Well-Meaning, Meddling ‘Peacemakers’ can Disrupt Your Workplace
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011You 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” [...]
How to deal with the smiling, stealth office bully
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011Overt 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, 2011Almost 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, 2011Harry 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 [...]
What to do if you’re stuck with bully for boss
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011What 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 [...]
Micromanagement is a Double-Edged Sword
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011We all know micromanagers whose control makes staff feel like their productivity, creativity and desire for responsibility is being strangled. But the other way micromanaging kills is when a competent manager is suffocated by too many employees who do need micromanaging to be productive. And then there are the sneaky slackers and covert bullies. The [...]
Change a Culture of Entitlement in the Workplace
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011How’s this for a challenging assignment: You’re the new manager of a 14-person team that’s been together four years. During your first two days with the team, nine people come to you one-to-one and complain vehemently about two team members, Laura and Frances. They’re angry: Laura and Frances come in late, leave early, ignore assignments [...]
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