Dealing with Mobs and Corporate Bullies

(The Wonderful World of Associations - Chapter 2)?

Performance disturbs the established order. It forces people to think and act differently – often more efficiently. This will affect people positively, for the most part, but others will feel threatened. By getting things done, you are reshaping the landscape in which you operate.

Some won’t be happy because you are showing leadership. They can barely refrain from expressing their anger when you succeed where they have failed. But remember, your courage to stand against them, to be the voice of reason in the face of their hostility, is a powerful force.

"Never explain, never retract, never apologize. Just get the thing done and let them howl.” Nelly McClung

I love this quote. Nelly McClung was a Canadian politician born in 1873. She was a feminist, a suffragette, and a social activist?who fought for women's rights and social justice. Her work and advocacy have left a lasting impact, and her legacy continues to inspire change. She passed away in 1951—a great lady gratified with a Canadian postage stamp in 1973.

When you consider bullies in a schoolyard, you are almost tempted to pity them. Kids who are bullying usually don’t know or fully understand what they are doing. They just express their social weaknesses or mere ignorance. As kids, we have probably done nothing to stop them, afraid of being bullied in return. Let’s blame it on a survival reflex. Pain is already painful; there is?no need to get into self-inflicting pain.

Growing older, we like to think that adults will get away from bullying. On the contrary. Adult bullies are very conscious of what they do. They bully specifically to harm other individuals. Their actions are meant to hurt people. And they can destroy somebody’s life, literally.

I don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning looking forward to having a good fight with bullies. And as the kids we used to be in the schoolyard, most will turn their heads and look elsewhere. This explains why you often end up standing alone against bullies. Bullies are incredibly conscious of this, and that compensates for their weakness and mental disorder.

A unique brand of adult bullies is of particular interest: corporate bullies. Corporate bullies are motivated by greed. This is not a surprise. Corporate bullies are also very gregarious and often act in hoards. Bully one day, mob another.

Bullies get their self-esteem from the proximity of other bullies. They replace torches and pitchforks with outright lies and denigrating rumors against others – individuals or corporate “competitors.”

In the wonderful world of associations, serial bullies, those who repeatedly engage in bullying behavior, are not generally born out of jealousy or envy. They have not failed where you have succeeded. It is precisely the opposite: they bully because they fear losing something where you have chances of success. They are allergic to competition. Should you work for what is perceived as a competing organization, this means that your potential success makes you a target. And then the train can easily get off track.

The NFPs world is abundantly intoxicated by corporate bullies. This is particularly true for those who work for the dominant NFP player in a market. Operating under the friendly cover of being a not-for-profit makes you less suspicious of market abuse, oligopolistic/monopolistic behavior, threats, insults, and defamation. Being the dominant firm is not enough. You want to rule the world, nothing less.

I often joke with peers that being not-for-profit doesn’t mean you are not for revenue. And if there are revenues, parties are giving you that money. This could be through subsidies, conference fees, subscriptions, memberships, training programs, etc. Such revenues can be significant. And if there is money, you can bet you will also find cupidity.

Cupidity is a motivating factor for corporate bullies. For some, grabbing that money for personal gain over collective good motivates them. That money is theirs for grabs. Don’t you dare put your hands on it? This cupidity is sufficient to transform people into serial bullies.

Bullies are specialists in deception. They excel by displaying their superior sense of entitlement. A clique of corporate mobs that have no shame in operating private businesses under the friendly cover of being not-for-profit.

Getting things done will, of course, shed light on the inability of others to get things done. This makes them look inadequate and incompetent. But like many other things in life, those who yell louder and complain about the work of others are usually those who can’t accomplish anything.

“Those who can, do! Those who can’t bully.”

I am unsure who said that, but it goes hand in hand with Nelly McClung’s quote.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_McClung

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