The Bully-in-Chief Up Against a Wall

In today’s New York Times article “Pause This Presidency,” columnist Charles M. Blow makes a compelling argument for putting the Trump administration on hold when he writes,

“The American people must immediately demand a cessation of all consequential actions by this ‘president’ until we can be assured that Russian efforts to hack our election, in a way that was clearly meant to help him and damage his opponent, did not also include collusion with or coverup by anyone involved in the Trump campaign and now administration.”

As an expert in human dynamics and adult bullying it has been my observation that bullies are masters at manipulation, deception, deceit and denial, and are in many cases—delusional. What we woke to on Saturday morning was all of these and more on public display by the current president as he tweeted his newest conspiracy theory about his predecessor.

The application of those nefarious traits by the Bully-in-Chief confirms for me the possibility of a cover-up of immense proportions.  In my January 13 post, “Predicting What Trump Will Do Next,” I wrote that bullies are particularly dangerous when their back is against the wall. This is because they will do anything to maintain power and control. Clearly this tweet was a stab in that direction.

But the danger isn’t over. I predict that Trump will willingly abuse the presidency up to, and including, martial law if he feels threatened.  According to a CNN/ORC poll, 65 percent of Americans say an independent special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Russia’s involvement in the election. This should be heeded—and fast! This is a serious case of obfuscation that will lead to more devastating actions if left uninvestigated. I don’t wish to be an alarmist, but having researched hundreds of cases of adult bullying, I have witnessed how bullies take drastic measures when their backs are against the wall.

Can we really afford to wait any longer?

Andrew Faas is the author of From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire

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Beware the Charming Bully: Jeff Sessions and Russia-gate

One of the refrains that was heard when former Senator Jeff Sessions was going through his nomination hearings was that he was such a warm, friendly, even endearing guy. Many didn’t know how to square this impression with the man who so alarmed Coretta Scott King in 1986 when he was nominated as a federal judge that she wrote a 10-page letter detailing why his confirmation would “have a devastating effect on not only the judicial system in Alabama, but also on the progress we have made everywhere toward fulfilling my husband's dream." People were confused about his character because few realized the characteristics of the benevolent dictator personality.

In business, benevolent dictators are often are described as being demanding, but caring about their employees. As I wrote in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A dictator boss uses whatever tools he has at his disposal to get what he wants—including affability, charm and benevolence. His true character only emerges when he’s thwarted. We are beginning to see this as Sessions’ lies come to light. A comprehensive article in the Kansas City Star details the growing “Russia-gate” scandal and Sessions’ role in it. It is clear that bullies will do anything to stay in power once they get there, including deception, deceit and a suddenly faulty memory when it comes to whether Sessions had communications with the Russians during the election.

There is one saving grace when it comes to dealing with Sessions—his employer is the American people, and they’re clearly not pleased. The outcry has gotten him to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation into ties with Russia, but it remains to be seen if it eventually forces his resignation. As with a dictatorial boss in a corporate setting, this sort of individual needs close watch and revolutionist involvement from employees and employer.  

Just forcing Sessions out however is not sufficient. An independent investigation is required. Given the brazen denials by most Republicans, including Trump, that there was no collusion with the Russians, clearly suggests that they will go to any lengths to prevent this, thus eroding democracy even further. The question not being asked is—If there is nothing to hide here, why on earth would they oppose such an investigation?

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For Bullied Mountie, Favorable Judgment Comes 12 Years Late

For Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Peter Merrifield, the February 28 judgment in his favor took 12 years to arrive. Ontario Superior Court Justice Mary Vallee found that the RCMP had serially harassed the decorated investigator “beyond all standards of what is right and decent” according to an article in the National Post. He was awarded $141,000 to compensate for his emotional distress, which caused significant mental health issues, and the ruin of his professional reputation.

Law enforcement organizations are particularly vulnerable to becoming dictatorial cultures. By their very nature they require a rigid chain of command and an ability to confront difficult situations. If abuse of this power structure is allowed to set in, a dictatorial culture replete with bullying, harassment and abuse can be the result—as is the case of the RCMP. The organization has been the subject of numerous accusations due to their toxic dictatorial culture, which I discuss in my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire.

Despite the judgment, Merrifield told the National Post that the abuse by the RCMP still continues, which is why he’s become a vocal advocate for RCMP unionization. While that might be a good first step, nothing short of a systemic, organization-wide review followed by extensive managerial housecleaning will change such a deeply embedded dictatorial culture.

Credit: Toronto Star

Hundreds of Former Employees Expose Jewelry Chain’s Open Secrets

Another employer has been accused of promoting a culture that condoned, and even encouraged, sexual harassment. Sterling Jewelers, the parent company of such well-known shopping mall jewelry stores as Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry has been accused of rampant harassment and discrimination by hundreds of former employees.

Sadly, this is an all too pervasive problem in toxic workplaces, as I recently wrote in regards to the Uber allegations. The Sterling accusations are not isolated incidents. More than 250 women, and some men, filed a private class-action arbitration case in 2008 alleging incidents of groping, demeaning behavior and demand for sexual favors that happened in the late 1990s and 2000s. This is on the heels of an even larger case of some 69,000 employees alleging widespread gender discrimination. According to testimonies just released, top male managers of this company bullied women with ridicule, “scouting parties” to find attractive sex partners, and demands for sexual favors in exchange for raises, promotions or protection from reprisal.

Because many employees waive their right to bring suits in public court as a condition of their employment, it’s difficult to get transparency in cases like these. The system is set up to protect the company at the cost of the employees instead of creating a psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplace.

As I discuss in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, workplaces of this sort are often an open secret. That was certainly true at FOX News and Uber. Until companies create an ironclad rule to punish any violators regardless of their position or contribution to the company, this behavior will continue. Throwing billions of dollars at harassment awareness workshops and diversity seminars have not, and will not ever make a dent. Only accountability will do that. Let’s hope as the Women’s March empowers women to speak out against injustice accountability becomes the new normal.

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The Dire Consequences of Not Speaking Out

At a time when too many refuse to say what they really think, Steven Goldstein, the fearless and outspoken new executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect in New York isn’t pulling any punches. A self-described social justice advocate and former Rutgers University political science and law professor, Goldstein had a short answer when a conservative commentator on CNN asked him if he believed that Donald Trump was anti-Semitic.

“You bet,” he replied.

The man is willing to point out wrongdoing and bullying where he sees it—that’s why he’s our Revolutionist of the Week. The Anne Frank Center in New York, founded by Anne’s father, Otto Frank, is dedicated to standing up for the equal rights and mutual respect of all people. My mother fought with the Dutch underground during World War II and her deepest regret was that she didn’t do more to save her friends and neighbors during that awful time. I am heartened to know that the Center is fighting on in Anne’s name.

Goldstein, who writes all the press releases and tweets from the organization in plain language has taken Trump to task for his belated expression against anti-Semitism as “too little, too late” and engaged with Sean Spicer on Twitter about it. In a written statement he said, “The President’s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism that has infected his own administration.”

It’s this kind of revolutionist who inspires and motivates those around him. He is crystal clear about what a revolutionist needs to do in this political climate: “We have no pecking order in which we fight Anti-Semitism first, and Islamophobia and other hatred second,” he said. “We have to save every Anne. Never again must mean never again to anyone. Never again is now.”

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Is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a Wimp?

Rex Tillerson was known as many things when he was nominated by Donald Trump for Secretary of State: CEO, friend of Vladimir Putin, a strong, pragmatic executive, but right now the only word that seems to describe him is—wimp.

Consider the evidence. When Trump vetoed Tillerson’s hand-picked choice for deputy secretary, foreign policy veteran Elliott Abrams, Tillerson did nothing. This left the new secretary of state running a department void of experienced hands. (There was a mass exodus of experienced staff after the election.) It’s true that Trump nixed Abrams because of his sharp warnings about the former candidate during the election, but as someone who has put dozens of successful senior executives in place, I’m actually stunned that Tillerson didn’t demand being allowed to hand pick his own staff as part of the deal when he accepted the nomination. Trump’s endless need for power stripped Tillerson of the prestige and authority he needs to succeed at his new post.

As Tillerson cowers before the Bully-in-Chief, we begin to wonder if he has any influence. According to Politico, Trump never conferred with Tillerson when he changed his policy about Palestinian statehood or castigated Iran for its ballistic missile test. Tillerson was conspicuously absent when Trump met with the leaders of Israel and Canada and little seen during the visits from Japan and the United Kingdom. Vice President Mike Pence will be touring Europe without Tillerson, and when Tillerson did go to Mexico and Germany he took no questions and gave no official version of his discussions. In fact, most of what we know about any of his interactions have come from foreign governments. Press briefings by the State Department have been put on hold for now. 

It appears that Tillerson, like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is bowing to the pressure of his bully boss. DeVos recently tried to stand her ground when she refused to sign off on the repeal of the nondiscrimination laws against transgender students, fearing for the students’ safety. Attorney General Jeff Sessions pressured her, and when she still refused, he went to Trump, who demanded she drop her opposition. Since then she has characterized the nondiscrimination rules as overreach by the Obama administration. So rather than resign, she’s been bullied into toeing the party line.

Clearly Tillerson and DeVos are dealing with a toxic workplace. The ramifications are frightening, which is why the quest for psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplaces is so dire. You can learn more about how toxic workplaces operate and how they can be fixed in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire. But until this becomes a priority in the White House, I have no doubt we’ll see more cabinet members being bullied into submission by Trump and his cronies.

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Why Reporting Sexual Harassment to HR is Ineffective

Stop me if you heard this one—a female employee gets sexually harassed by her supervisor and reports it to Human Resources. HR tells her that she can transfer to another department to get away from him, but because it’s his first offense and he’s a star performer, there’s little they can do. The employee transfers and learns from other female employees that the former supervisor has harassed many of them. They go back to HR, which does nothing. The latest example of this happened at Uber, according to the New York Times, which picked up the story from the employee’s own blog.

This sort of ineffectiveness is all too frequent from HR departments. They often seem more interested in protecting the bullies than dealing with abuse. In fact, when I talk with employees at speaking events around the country, the most common response to the question “Did HR help you?” is that the department is in management’s pocket and the visit was a waste of time.

We’ve seen this play out over and over again—Fox News, Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, and so on. This is why I devoted a chapter in my book From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire to sexual bullying. Until we recognize the right of every employee to enjoy a psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplace and make that a priority for Human Resources, sexual harassment will continue to harm victims as well as the company.

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The Silent Workplace Epidemic that Endangers Millennials

Millennial employees get a bad rap—often chastised as being lazy and self-involved, they are actually the largest current generation and swiftly eclipsing baby boomers in the workforce. While they bring plenty to the table—innovation, creativity, technological know-how, inclusiveness—they are also vulnerable to toxic workplaces. The medical journal Pediatrics reports that not only are they more likely to become clinically depressed than any other generation, more young women are struggling with the disease. Clearly they need psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplaces to make the most of their potential and maintain their physical and mental health.

Not meeting this standard has dire consequences for individuals as well as the nation. This is why I’m working with Mental Health America (MHA) to improve psychological health in America’s workplaces. MHA has studied this problem and found that mental health issues cost $51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity and $26 billion in direct treatment costs.

My fear is that the current atmosphere of divisiveness, bigotry and bullying promoted by the current administration will compound the problem of mental health in the workplace. Adult bullying in the workplace can cause even more havoc on a person’s well-being than school bullying—many adults need their jobs so they and their families can survive. In a tough economy they may have no other option, so they are forced to endure negative treatment, which gone unchecked can lead to physical and mental illness and even suicide. With one in five Americans afflicted with a mental health issue at any given time, this is a serious consequence. For more information on how to create psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplaces and maximize the potential of millennials—and all employees—see my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire.

If you have coworkers—especially millennials—who are suffering, I urge you to reach out to them. As I indicated in recent articles about suicide resulting from workplace bullying and living with a person with mental illness, no one has to go this alone. There are resources for help. Choose to be an ally and advocate instead of a bystander. You can make a difference in someone’s life.

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Bully Boss Andrew Puzder Forced Out as Labor Nominee

It looks as though Donald Trump’s latest attempt to fill a cabinet position with someone reported to be a bully boss has failed.

Tomorrow, Andrew Puzder was due to begin confirmation hearings as nominee for labor secretary. Puzder, who is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which includes Carl’s Jr. and Hardees, has a poor track record. He opposes legislation to raise the minimum wage or pay overtime to employees. There has been outcry about his corporation’s policies by unions, a history of hiring an undocumented domestic worker in his home, and allegations of domestic abuse (although his ex-wife recently recanted). As New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio recently pointed out, the position of labor secretary should be filled by someone who understands that workers’ rights are good for business.

According to the New York Times, Puzder withdrew his name from nomination Wednesday afternoon when several Republican senators indicated they would not confirm him. Given how Trump has stacked his cabinet with individuals with little regard for workers’ rights, women’s rights or just plain human rights, this could be a positive development. However, the only truly acceptable resolution would be to appoint a labor secretary who would truly represent American workers and offer them hope for a better future.

It’s important for employees to realize that activism and resistance really does work. Keep calling your elective representatives and let them know about the issues that mean the most to you. There is more information on how to become a resistor, activist and defender in the workplace my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire.

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How a Bully Boss Turns Subordinates into Bullies: White House Edition

There is a classic workplace bullying dynamic at work in the White House. As Donald Trump bullies his subordinates, they become bullied bullies and bully others. Trump communications specialist Omarosa Manigault was guilty of this recently when she tried to intimidate veteran White House reporter April Ryan, according to a report in the Washington Post. Just steps from the Oval Office, Manigault physically intimidated Ryan, made verbal threats and asserted that Ryan was among reporters on whom the Trump administration had “dossiers” of information. According to Ryan, the physical behavior was so extreme that it almost warranted Secret Service intervention.

In my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, I deal extensively with how people who are bullied become bullies themselves. For many it is a way to cope and survive in a toxic environment, for others it gives them a license to get results through fear.

I keep pointing out the work of Stanley Milgram in The Perils of Obedience where he observed: "...ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority." My book is a resource so employees don’t become "agents in a terrible destructive process by resisting authority."