What do John Bolton, Martha Stewart, and Bernie Ebbers have in common? All of them are "bully bosses, " as laid out in an interesting article in the Washington Post.
Bullies, it seems to me, make the same mistake that Paul Wolfowitz did during a congressional hearing a few years ago. What we were doing in Iraq, he said, was to instill "fear and respect" for the US among would-be terrorists.
IMO, "fear" and "respect" are antonyms. Bullies, desperate for respect and validation, can't get it, so they -- to get their way -- use fearmongering tactics. Who could possibly respect viciousness?
While I'm not supportive of laws against viciousness in the workplace, it nevertheless should be shunned. Bullying bullies doesn't work, either, but they should stopped.
Interestingly, they often are stopped, as they -- in the end -- are their own worst enemies.
-Robert Capozzi