The Guilded Sweatshop (cont.)

"Unfortunately, it is not just managers who regard bullying as acceptable; society itself is ambivalent. Until society unequivocally states its abhorrence of bullying as an acceptable management style, and backs its beliefs by law, the behavior will remain. It is indeed sad that only a very few enlightened organizations have grasped this nettle." 10

"Bullying at work is the repeated, malicious verbal mistreatment of a Target (recipient) by a harassing bully (the perpetrator) that is driven by the bully's desire to control the Target. That control is typically a mixture of cruel acts of deliberate humiliation or interference and the withholding of resources and support preventing the Target from succeeding at work. The most important and defining characteristics is that the bully's actions damage the Target's health and self-esteem, relations with family and friends, economic livelihood, or some combination of them all."11

"The bully is desperate to dominate. The bully feels powerless; (s)he only values herself when (s)he is in control. (S)he works in a reality that says she is only in control when(s)he controls others. (S)he avoids feeling powerless by flexing her/his control muscles. The more exercise (s)he gets...the less secure she is feeling."12

"…the enemy is there for you, at a distance. Don't be afraid to pull him closer into an actual embrace-or push him away when it suits you. He is there to measure your success by… to illuminate the good things you do with his envy… to make you happy when he sucks wind… to challenge you when he does well. God bless him! Yes a great enemy is to be cherished, nurtured and loved, just like a friend."13

"It's not about offering a product or service. It's not about providing jobs for people. It's not about running something right, making a difference, winning for the team, taking lunch, brunch, drinks, retreats, or loyalty to Uncle Bob. It's not about Quality. It's not about golf. It's about one thing and one thing only. Getting bigger. For big Machiavellis who operate macro-style, this means gobbling up other entities and building cash flow."14

10- "Bully In Sight," Tim Field, Success Unlimited.
11-12 - "The Bully at Work," Gary Namie, Ph.D. and Ruth Namie, Ph.D., Sourcebooks Inc., 2000.
13-14 -- "What Would Machiavelli Do?--The Ends Justify the Meanness," Stanley Bing, Harper Business, 2001.

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