The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
The Cranky Middle Manager #58 More About Bullying Bosses- Robert Mueller
Posted on 09. Aug, 2006 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #058
Greetings one and all. I’m amazed at the popularity of the show we did on Bullying Bosses with Dr Gary Namie. it’s our most downloaded show ever. If you missed it, check it out here. It generated a lot of discussion, and some controversy. We take a slightly different look at the topic with Robert Mueller, the boss at www.bullyingbosses.com.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. This episode is dedicated to Theseus, who knew a thing or two about battling bullies, in their many forms- sometimes literal, sometimes figurative.
4:30 The quote of the week is from Abraham Lincoln- how you use power reveals your character. Are you one of those bosses that pulls the wings off flies? Have you had one?
6:56 (apologies for the sound quality of the interview) What is a bullying boss? It’s about a lack of communication.
9:15 Was Meryl Streep a bully in “Devil Wears Prada?” Not according to Robert. It’s more about the behaviors the individual is displaying. I come up with an analogy that works….better to be lucky than good.
12:40 Bullies generally take on one victim at a time. And yes, they do it on purpose.
16:50 The difference between Dr Namie’s confrontative approach and Robert’s is to form alliances that allow you to cope and “outlast the bastards”.
21:20 Managers are caught in the middle- and can be bullied from both sides.
24:00 Humor is a defense mechanism… except when used badly.
26:15 Other countries prohibit bullying expressly. What is it with the US? You can find out in his book Bullying Bosses:A Survivor’s Guide- How to Transcend the Illusion of the Interpersonal
Resources
Bullying Bosses
Check out Andrea Needham’s work in New Zealand
http://www.bulliesincorporated.co.nz/
In the UK, check out Tim Fields
http://www.successunlimited.co.uk/
The Heart of Canada
http://heartofcanada.typepad.com/randomthoughts/2005/02/bullying_resour.html
Union resources in the US
http://www.ranknfile-ue.org/stwd_bullies.html
Â
Great to see a potentially taboo subject being raised!
Wayne,
Good show, listened today during my evening walk. The audio was very disappointing. Could not hear what Robert was saying most of the time. It was a kind of Echo. Had to strive hard to make most of it with your paraphrasing.
Thanks
Karthik
Bangalore, India.