A masterclass in bullying

To quote a colleague: “These are incredible times and not every moment is our finest.”At the NSW Covid-19 hearing on 12th August, my money says this was not Brad Hazzard’s finest. On the other hand I know enough about attitudes to leadership to know that some people would say it was actually very effective.

In fact, it was a masterclass in bullying to rival some of our other greatest hits such as John Coates and Annastacia Palaszczuk and just about every day on radio with Alan Jones.

And so I analyse the interactions in this engagement to raise to the surface the techniques of communication, I feel bewilder many. Let’s give it a go.

Have a clear objective

The objective for Mr Hazzard’s was clear. It was to protect Dr Chant and to stop her from speaking. In achieving that goal, Mr Hazzard’s work was art at its finest. It was more a Blue Poles than a Da Vinci, but it was supported by a series of practised, well-rehearsed techniques that were evident in the brushstrokes.?

Here is an outline of some of those brushstrokes:

Interruption

This is the best and most common form of taking power. The best thing is to not even let the other person get a word in. Don’t even hear the question, but interrupt anyway. Then you go on the attack making an assumption that what was being asked was an unjustified attack. My favourite? example here was when Mr Hazzard interrupted after a couple of words saying “The question is out of order and wrong”.

Threat?

We all laugh and make fun of the phrase “I know where you live”, but it is a genuine threat. Similarly Mr Hazzard addresses the Chair with “I know you want to run for the Senate”. It threw him. It threw me. The Chair began to stutter. Deed done.

Undermine

Undermine the opponent and their actions. Examples here were:

• “You are wasting time”
• “This is ridiculous”
• “You are holding us up”
• “You are putting words in Dr Chants mouth”
• “If you haven’t been listening it’s not my problem”
• “You don’t understand”

Who can forget golden oldies such as the remarks between Alan Jones and Louise Herron over the opera house: “Who the hell to you think you are”. I’ve wanted to say that to airport staff so many times, but never dared. Silly me.

Raise yourself up?

Make sure that you come across as a hero. Examples here were:

• “We have volunteered”?
• “We have agreed”?
• “I’m the minister”
• “I’m really busy”?
• “I don’t have to be here”

Pre-suppose dominance

Make the presupposition of total power in the situation. An aura of being vested with authority is grand.

Examples of this would be to decide who speaks:

• “I’m going to let Dr Chant answer this”
• “I’ll answer that”

Another is to make the rules?

• “Either I get to finish or I will not answer”
• “That’s the end of today’s statement”

Then leave the meeting without warning.

Non verbals - the eyes

I’ll bore you by saying “the eyes are the window to the soul”, but less romantically there are actually clear movements for eyes that tell us we have respect and disrespect.?

Disrespect in Western culture is shown by directing the eyes away and worse, by actually doing something else while listening. Mr Hazzard does this beautifully by looking at the phone or pouring a glass of water while being spoken to directly. You have to get the timing exactly right for full effect and? and turn the body away with total focus on the distracting object. Don’t try this at home. It could be dangerous.

Non-verbals - gestures

Gestures say a lot. The hand on the hip is strong. It’s called the ‘John Wayne’ and the arms crossed is a sign of closure and when you add a lean back in the chair it is again reminiscent of John Coates in the Annastacia Palaszczuk interview. Total disrespect.

The stop signal with the hand is another good block and the karate chop gesture can be very threatening.?

Vocal intonation

Critical to the bullying vocal technique of total dominance is to be LOUD.?

Mr Hazzard takes his mask off to make sure he gets full effect.

Another under-realised skill is to never break your airflow. When Mr Hazzard gets the floor. He takes it. Those on the panel failed badly in this area. They would begin and then pause and for Mr Hazzard this was fodder for the mill. At one stage one of the interviewers was so enraged she went silent. Again, a gift for your fully fledged bully. A true artist like Mr Hazzard will belittle the voiceless.?

I get it. I recognise that there were triggers for the behaviour. There was a gender issue. Mr Hazzard was defending a pressured, exhausted woman. Secondly there was a smell of political agenda and Mr Hazzard felt as a Minister he was being attacked and undermined. And thirdy I do not think the issue of deep exhaustion and stress on his part could be ignored.

But we deserve better than the persistent patterns of verbal and/or nonverbal behaviours intended to deliberately inflict emotional and verbal abuse in the presence of a real or perceived power differential called bullying.