Common tactics of bullies:
- Making false accusations and spreading rumors
- Non-verbal intimidation
- Making fun of a person’s feelings or behaviors
- Holding people to different standards
- Creating a scapegoat; nothing is ever their fault
- Singling out a target with a crowd at their back
- Name-calling and labeling
- Encouraging a person to quit
- Destroying property, or sabotaging work
- Skilled at playing the victim when cornered
Behaviors which encourage bullies:
- Being passive and compliant
- Adopting their image of you
- Leaders letting known bullying go unchallenged, unchecked
Standing against bullies:
- Don’t allow their words and deeds to become your self-image
- Remember their three most common drivers: They see you as a threat. They hate themselves. They secretly want to be you.
- Stand firm on rights and principles
- Act fearlessly. Cowards may bluff but will retreat in the face of courage.
- Don’t return evil for evil
Wait a sec… did you think I was talking about children?
