Workplace bully or driven employee?
Of course, you want to do everything in your power to discourage bullying in the workplace. But in many cases, managers are a bit too quick to label someone as a “bully.”
Just because an employee or a group of employees is having some issues with an intense co-worker, it doesn’t mean that co-worker is actually bullying them. That’s a common mistake employers make.
Baron Christopher Hanson, the principal and lead consultant of RedBaron Consulting, says it’s vital for employers to determine whether they’re actually dealing with a legitimate workplace bully or what he refers to as a “hard-charger.”
The difference: Hard-chargers push aggressively for positive change within the organization, whereas bullies simply use others’ fear to control positive outcomes for themselves.
But sometimes the difference between the two isn’t too clear.
So how can you be sure? Hanson suggests that employers use the CAPE (Confront, Analyze, Present and Expose) method to distinguish between well-meaning but overaggressive hard-chargers and outright bullies.
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