Bullies have been around since the beginning of time creating crisis, chaos, and conflict.
Leaders have been around just as long promoting ethics, values, and principles.
Bullies bear down on individuals, groups, and countries to further solidify their grip and tight hold on them. They are relentless in pursuing control over people, places, and things. They will use whatever force is necessary to achieve their end game.
Leaders make themselves vulnerable in serving, supporting, and socializing the people who look to them for safety and security. They strive to act in ways that evoke respect and trust.
How the bully is being portrayed as the Russian assault on Ukraine goes on, is disturbing for most people and horrific for those living with the effects of it first hand. Bullies are not concerned with the damage, destruction, or death that is inflicted on their quest to dominate and control.
The leader in this conflict is an unlikely individual who went from acting on television to being thrust on the world stage, creating mass crowds of supporters who demonstrate even with the risk of being jailed. Hope is a powerful thing when leaders give a vision for what is possible despite the attacks of the bullies.
During my career, I worked with a few bullies who taught me things that the leaders and coaches I worked with could not.
- When you put People over Power and Profits, they will astonish you with their contributions to achieving the needed goals and objectives for any organization.
- Putting Gratitude over Greed and Graft leads to a more engaged group of people-employees or citizens.
- Compassion over Crime and Conflict is just one of the ways that leaders might ingratiate themselves to other people.
Bullies have a false sense of power that typically comes from their fear and anger. Their closed mindset prevents them from seeing the impact of their destructive behaviors as if they live in an insulated bubble.
Leaders draw their strength on their values and principles based on what seems to be the right thing to do in the situation. They have an open mindset that allows them to do things without self-sabotaging themselves in the process.
I wrote about bullies and leaders because of my own experiences with bullies from high school into my career. When more of us speak up to the bullies and confront them directly or indirectly we start to amass a movement for People, Gratitude, and Compassion.
We must find the strength and courage to confront bullies from our first encounter with them, second chances for bullies might lead to a situation like the one that Russia has inflicted on Ukraine.
This could have been avoided and lives might have been saved if the bully was not allowed to create a support cadre of individuals focused on Power, Profits, Greed, Graft, Conflict, and Crimes.
How might you confront bullying?
What are some of the ways that you can be a leader?
What values and principles influence you?
With much gratitude…
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