Leadership Thought #338 – Never Allow Yourself to Get Bullied
Never allow yourself to get bullied. It was true on the playground as kids, and it’s true in your adult business dealings. I make it a rule to never do business with anyone I perceive doesn’t have my best interest at heart. Any completely one-sided deal is not a good business deal but extortion. The good news is that once you survive a bad economy, it becomes pretty evident who the worst transgressors are. I hope they ultimately face consequences for their actions.
There is an old saying that you see a person’s true personality when they have achieved wealth and/or power. When you have significant leverage over another person, you can either give them a hand up or keep them down. You can reward loyalty and think long-term or squeeze every last dollar out of every deal. You can take a win-win mindset or make sure you win and the other person loses. You can be honest and straightforward or disingenuous.
You see it everywhere you look. Banks call in loans at inopportune moments to push someone out of business to make their balance sheets look better (then blame it on the regulators). Credit card companies that charge exorbitant rates that border on usury when their customers misstep slightly. General contractors who beat down their subcontractors so much on price that they can’t make a profit. Large corporations intimidate local governments into giving them everything they want or threaten to relocate if their demands are unmet. Popular business brands exploit child labor or inhumane labor practices in foreign countries to enhance their profits. Public officials who use rules and regulations to inhibit the success of people they don’t like. Customers often have unrealistic expectations regarding their service contractors’ prices and results, making achieving business success more difficult than necessary. The list can go on and on.
I believe you should never get ahead in life at the expense of someone else. You may sometimes have to pay a little bit more, but that’s okay. When the growth of McDonald’s started to take off, Ray Kroc several times increased what he was paying his potato suppliers on purpose so they would have money to invest in their capabilities and share in the rewards of success. IBM would offer generous retirement benefits and pick facility locations that would guarantee its employees an excellent quality of life. Sam Walton used to take pride in the fact that Walmart carried so many items that were made in America and that he had strong, healthy vendor relationships.
If you find yourself in a situation where the other party is bullying you, resist their pressure and maintain your position. Surround yourself with employees and business partners who have your best interests at heart and act in the same fashion. Share the fruits of your success with those who made it possible. Be generous (within reason) when some of your partners/colleagues struggle, because every business inevitably will at some point. Help people win today, and they will help you win long-term. Avoid large banks that may offer lower rates but also have no loyalty to you whatsoever. Never trust someone who breaks his/her word. Exit that relationship ASAP. Don’t work for a boss who mistreats you or is ethically challenged. Call out public officials and bureaucrats who are unwilling to promote progress, compromise for the greater good, or who are pushing a hidden agenda.
The best way to deal with a bully is to first stand up to them and then ignore them until they consistently change their behavior. Work with your colleagues and business partners to isolate those organizations that are bad for business and only support others that practice a win-win mindset. If you don’t like or trust the major players, the worst-case scenario is to leave the industry or market. You are only ever as weak as you allow yourself to be.
Related articles
- What Should I Do If I’m Bullied? (education.com)
- Morality in Bullying: What is Right and What is Wrong? (education.com)
- A Management in a Minute Book Overview of Sam Walton by Sam Walton (With John Huey) (bizcovering.com)
- Avoid these 10 pitfalls when having ‘difficult talks’ (waywardjourney.com)
- 3 Amazing Quotes which offer Bullying Advice to those being Bullied (standupagainstbullyingguy.wordpress.com)
- 12 Rules for Life book excerpts (capacity-building.com)
