Re: Managers Who Intimidate Causing Grief

[JIMCHEVAL -at- AOL -dot- COM]

In a message dated 98-09-07 13:06:00 EDT, linsherm -at- GTE -dot- NET responds to
 Cecilia St.John:
 >
 > Question:  How does one respond to an intimidator without using
 > the same tactics?

 Find another job.
  >>
I'll admit this was my first impulse as well.  However, that's not always an
option and in fact not always absolutely necessary.

One technique is quite simply to call the person on the basis for their
intimidation.  What's the worst thing they can actually do to you? Give you a
bad review?  Fire you?

If you're at the point where you're thinking of leaving anyway, these might
not really be all that bad, if you think about it.

I was on one consulting project where the project leader regularly bawled out
every one of his subordinates sooner or later.  I steered pretty clear of this
until one day he started in on me in front of another person.  I asked that
person to leave us alone - quite to the surprise of this bully, who was used
to people apologetically folding under his abuse.  Then I looked him in the
eye and said, "Do you have a problem with my work?"  He averted his gaze,
mumbled something about my being arrogant sometimes and that was that.  Never
another word.

He could of course have said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I do."  In which
case I would have been gone fast.  And he knew it.  He wasn't willing to pay
that price because he in fact needed me.

If you're at the point where you're likely to leave anyway, one possible
solution is to make that clear, and to demand that the value of your work be
respected.  If you've got responsive higher management and/or a good HR
department, you might then let them know the situation if things don't work
with your immediate hierarchy.

All of this, of course, is an end game.  Your trump card has to be an absolute
willingness to walk if your attempts to solve the problem prove fruitless. But
if you're at that point anyway, you might as well give yourself the
gratification (so rare in corporate America) of speaking your piece straight
out.  And of standing up for your own worth.

Jim Chevallier
North Hollywood

New!!! Views of Paris!!!! http://www.geocities.com/paris/1998


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