Have you ever been bullied? Bullying is a huge issue in our society and constantly in the news. This problem has always existed and currently exists in leadership as well.
The following are 10 ways to know if you are a bully as a leader. Why am I speaking directly to leaders here? Because the people you are there to serve already know you’re a bully.
- Bullies lead by fear.
- Bullies degrade, insult, “encourage or train” their team members publicly.
- Bullies make you feel intellectuality weak.
- Bullies remind you that you are easily replaceable.
- Bullies constantly focus on what you are not.
- Bullies (who are men) do not respect women and view them as objects.
- Bullies constantly discuss their personal accomplishments.
- Bullies are narcissistic.
- Bullies often state “You’re lucky to have a job in this economy”.
- Bullies have little to no relational intelligence.
If you are in the unfortunate position of serving under a bully, here is what you need to know – There is hope as this too will soon pass.
A “bully leadership style” is not sustainable because the following exists in this culture:
- No loyalty from the team.
- Morale is low.
- Frequent heated conflict with those you are supposed to serve.
- The team will never go the extra mile for this type of leader.
- Team members will frequently leave forcing you to spend increased time on training and development rather than advancing the mission and vision of the organization.
- Customers or church members look for other options.
- Goals are consistently not met.
- The leader loses his/her influence.
- The leader loses his/her respect.
- The leader loses his/her job.
You see, that’s our little revenge. It you are a bully, here is a note to you. Because of your personality and leadership style, you will have people fall in line. The mistake you make is confusing silence with compliance. You also confuse weakness with meekness.
While you may cause us many sleepless nights and a great amount of unnecessary stress, we know you are not a sustainable individual. If we keep our head low, do our job, and stay out of your way, you will one day be gone.
We would have fought hell with a water pistol for you. We would have gone the extra mile and served you with everything we had. But you had to be a bully and because of that decision, you will pay a huge price.
One final word, it’s not too late to change. Repent and start serving your team. Because if you are a bully, you are already out of options whether you know it or not.
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