
Here are some strategies for managing bullies out of your business that I and my co-author, Molly D. Shepard, recommend in our book The Bully-Proof Workplace: Essential Strategies, Tips and Scripts for Dealing with the Office Sociopath (McGraw-Hill, 2017):
-- Examine your own behavior to ensure that you are setting a good example. Remember, as a leader in your organization, you are a role model who can influence others, like it or not.
-- Discuss bullying behavior and its consequences openly with your team. Review the most appropriate ways of addressing it and eradicating it.
-- Do not stay silent if you experience bullying or see it. Remember, when someone exhibits bullying behavior and gets away with it, it reinforces the behavior.
-- Designate points of contact so employees know where to turn for help.
-- Take a stand for yourself. Stay calm, but refuse and rebuke the bad behavior in a forthright way.
We may not get bullies to admit that they are wrong, but their harmful behavior can be discouraged by individuals standing up for themselves in a workplace culture designed to support a bully-free work zone.
A bully-free workplace is a place where all workers are fully engaged and committed to the organization's mission, while maintaining positive relations with all stakeholders in the company; where workers communicate honestly—and respectfully—with colleagues, peers and bosses; where leaders engage with employees and listen carefully to gauge the pulse of the organization; and where relationships are reciprocal and responsibility is shared. It's a place where bullies' misbehavior is dealt with seriously so everyone can get on with their work.
Peter J. Dean, PhD., is the founder and president of Leaders By Design, a company that provides leadership development for executives.
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