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| Photo by Eddie~S via Flickr. |
Jeff
Talbert* was the CEO of a fledgling company when, in an instant, he made a
troubling discovery. More than a third of his 17 person staff was actively
engaged in bullying another colleague.
The
revelation came when Talbert scrolled through an email and found a chain of
messages that had been inadvertently forwarded. Here was proof that six members
of his team - some of them his most competent staff members - were sending
anti-Semitic, degrading messages about the targeted colleague. They'd gone so
far as to create a daily email of the target's offenses and short comings.
"The
tone was hateful," says Talbert. "It was truly ugly stuff. I couldn't
believe what I was reading."
Just
a few years out of business school, and with a rapidly growing business on his
hands, Talbert was faced with an ethical dilemma: do I fire some of my best
staff and possibly sink the company in the process, or do I turn a blind eye?
Though
bullying behavior tends to peak in the middle school years, workplaces are not
immune to it. Among adults, it may take the form of public insults, degrading
criticisms, intentional exclusion, or gossip and rumor-spreading.
"Bullying
behavior results from an imbalance and mis-use of power," says Dr. Jim
Ludema, professor of leadership and organizational change at the Center for
Values-Driven Leadership (www.cvdl.org), Benedictine
University.
Ludema,
along with the authors of The
Essential Guide to Bullying Prevention and Intervention, Cindy
Miller and Cynthia Lowen agree: it’s the CEO or other senior leadership's job to right the
situation. Start with these steps:
·
Have zero tolerance
for bullying:
make it clear, in words and actions, that senior leadership has no tolerance
for bullying behavior. Address every concern swiftly, and with careful respect
for the target. Don't allow bullies to rise through the ranks. Research shows
that one bad apple can spoil the barrel - that one negative employee can
have a significant negative impact on entire teams and organizations. Stop it
quickly.
·
Restore dignity to
the target:
If a colleague has become a frequent target, work with his or her manager to
address power imbalances that have allowed this to occur. It may be that there
are underlying social behavior issues, or other concerns, that could be gently
and discretely addressed through your human resources team. Enroll the targeted
employee in a mentoring program so he or she has an internal advocate who is
committed to their personal development and safety.
·
Create a positive
culture:
Beyond addressing immediate concerns of bullying, the number one thing a senior
leader can do to prevent bullying is establish a positive culture. Teach
appreciative approaches to organizational change, and staff development. Build
conflict resolution skills in your team. Foster an environment for positive
social interactions and find ways to engage all employees, even those that
often sit on the margins.
·
Check yourself: The greatest
culprit of workplace bullying is often the boss. The demands of leadership can make
us unnecessarily curt ... and that's a slippery slope to using degrading or
demeaning language, exclusion, telling hurtful inside jokes, and a host of
other behaviors that can befall even usually good leaders. Ask trusted
colleagues and external peers for an honest review of your own tendencies, and
listen to what they say.
Instinctively,
this is just what Talbert did. He made the quick decision that he would not
tolerate workplace bullying, even if the decision had lasting repercussions for
the company overall. After researching email records, he called all six
employees to his office. He fired two, put two on probation, and gave a verbal
warning to two others that had not played an active role in the bullying.
His
decision created an extra burden on the remaining staff, but, Talbert says the
decision had a positive lasting impact. "My employees know I'm looking out
for them. They respect that." And his company has grown as a result – the
company has been recognized by Inc.
magazine as one of the country's fastest growing businesses.
*Name changed to protect the target of the bullying, who remains unaware of the circumstances.
***
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
·
When the boss is the bully: Tom Walter of Tasty
Catering (Inc. 5000: 2007, 2010) on Letting Go of Command and Control Leadership.
·
Making ethical decisions: Rich Panico of
Integrated Project Management on Proving You Can't be Bought.
·
Lowen and Miller offer suggestions of how
educators, employers, and parents can create safe environments and prevent
bullying in their book The Essential
Guide to Bullying Prevention and Intervention.
·
Further learning for executives with an interest
in leadership, positive cultures, and ethical decision making: the PhD/DBAprogram in values-driven leadership.
·
Can values and positive culture positively
influence profit? The Return on Values Initiative, in partnership with the
Small Giants Community.
___
Amber Johnson is the Center for Values-Driven Leadership's corporate relations and social media advisor. She is a non-profit and small business communications professional. In addition to blogging about business for the CVDL, Amber writes about marriage and other topics on her personal blog.
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