The Psychology of the Swamp No. 27: Investing in the Failure of Others

Investing in the failure of others sounds odd, but it is a characteristic behavior of the bully. History is full of people who wanted others to fail for personal gain. Practices such as these indicate that something is wrong with the emotional well-being of the organization. A sick organization is created when the hierarchy of needs are not met, such as when the workplace is unstable or unsafe or social needs are ignored and when a lack of respect is the norm, and self-efficacy, fulfillment, and autonomy are missing in the organization.  

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The Psychology of the Swamp No. 26: Reward and Recognition Review

Reward and recognition programs may harbor many inefficiencies and possible justice issues. To determine if these inequities exist in your reward and recognition it would be essential to look at any trends and patterns that may have developed over various departments, divisions, and regions.

Some things to examine are trends and patterns showing success variables such as only certain groups participating for recognition, and are certain groups excluded, and are specific rewards and recognition devalued and replaced with the pursuit of unmet needs. Reward and recognition programs that eliminate marginalized populations promote the survival of the fittest mentality and hopelessness and despair for those who cannot compete.

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The Psychology of the Swamp No. 25: The Loudest and Most Fearful Often Rise to Power.

Certain industries and positions seem to cultivate aggressive communication because of the sheer emotional and/or physical difficulty of the job. Often leaders and employees have never been given the tools to manage adrenaline, fear, anxiety, and failure, and as communication degrades in the workplace, the loudest and most fearful often rise to power. Communication training can help individuals understand their communication styles and those of their coworkers, and with skill development, employees and leaders can learn to respectfully state their needs.

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The Psychology of the Swamp No. 24: Diagnosing with Intent to Assassinate

Diagnosing psychological conditions without the proper credentials is labeling and a form of bullying because it is character assassination.  All medical fields including mental health psychologists and psychiatrists are required to have the necessary experience and education through residency with reputable hospitals and universities before acquiring the credentials to have the privilege and the ability to diagnosis and provide treatment, which takes years of dedication and hard work. Journalists, talk show hosts, or news reporters are not known to have these credentials and should stay within their realm of influence and competency. Otherwise, it is just labeling with an intent to assassinate character. 

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The Psychology of the Swamp No. 23: Tug-of-War

Can you bring two parties together who has acted in defensive and resistive ways? Yes, it is just a matter of returning to the mission and values of each party and evaluating the return on investment of such behavior.  When bad-actors compete, the showdown is meant to search and destroy. Constituents of both parties run from, look away or become disgusted when bad tug-of-war behaviors are the only form of collaboration and communication.  In a tug-of-war, a show of strength and character is the assumed agenda; however, when parties react defensively or are resistive, displayed is the weakness of character for each party, and the strength of the members becoming diminished.

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The Psychology of the Swamp No. 22: Communication in the Swamp

When triads exist, otherwise stable employees begin to use dysfunctional methods to communicate everyday processes at work. Dr. Dennis O’Grady (2015), in his Friday Talk News release, clarifies the role of servant leadership, which is to control your mood so that you can fully exhibit your servant-leader character. Within the bully triad, important components of effective communication are missing, and Dr. O’Grady lists eight select components of effective communication that must be a part of servant leadership and the culture of every healthy organization:

·         Respect. Respect for others is shown by acknowledging their value as human beings.

·         Empathy. Empathy leads to trust and creates strong bonds between people.

·         Lack of blame. Lack of blame is the ability not to become defensive and willingness to admit mistakes with a focus on correcting the problem, not the person.

·         Humility. Humility is a lack of arrogance. Humility means one does not think less of themselves—they just think more of others.

·         Emotional mastery. Emotional mastery is, most importantly, the ability to control anger. Emotional mastery requires remaining calm, not berating others, controlling anxiety, and reflecting before acting.

·         Responsibility. Responsibility is accepting ownership by being accountable.

·         Self-confidence. Self-confidence is feeling equal to others, even when others may be in a position of formal power. Self-confident people build self-confidence in others and, in the process, are not threatened by doing so. Rather, they find growth within themselves.

·         Courage. Courage is the willingness to take risk. Courageous people are sometimes known to ask forgiveness rather than permission. They are willing to try even though they may fail. They overcome obstacles, and their courage inspires other to change.

These select elements of effective communication are about interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. However, organizations that also embed these elements into managerial communication, policies, and procedures; organizational standards; and daily memos will see their efforts and strategies for healing the organization realized sooner.

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The role model for servant leadership.