The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization

Preparing Leaders, Preparing Yourself

For some researchers, bullying is a public health catastrophe. That being said, it might help for you to characterize the antibullying initiative as trying to address a disease. Bullying is a malignancy that invades your workplace. The problem metastasizes and threatens the functional integrity of your company, agency, or ministry. Like any undesirable cancer, it must be neutralized and eventually excised. Your organization's health cannot be restored if it is ignored.

We will strive to make this antibullying campaign toward a healthier workplace as impersonal as possible. No one (except bullies themselves) wants to launch a premeditated attack on another person. Our approach has the advantage of helping you purge destructive jerks, weasels, and snakes through means that remove the personality factor from the purging process. They will cease their destruction and join the workforce as a constrained human, or they will leave, mostly of their own volition. Their banishment is a secondary benefit you derive from faithfully implementing the steps we describe.

Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.

—William Arthur Ward

Preparation begins at the top, with you. The board, C-suite team, and senior leadership must unequivocally want to eradicate bullying. If you are not ready, start this book over. Remind yourself why bullying must be dealt with. If you are ready, there are three Herculean tasks required ...