Sometimes we just want people to relax and enjoy the show. They take things so seriously.
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Hi Karl,
Hmm, interesting cartoon, and as usual it speaks volumes through very few words. It speaks to me of the dynamic you get when a very controlling person is placed in a position of power and authority. Recognizing that such individuals are usually highly insecure and generally not very skilled at win-win type negotiations helps to depersonalize the sting of their behavior, but doesn’t excuse it–and doesn’t, in and of itself, bring about the steps needed to prevent such a person from destroying the morale in an office.
The being in your cartoon kind of reminds me a bit of one of those Dementors in the Harry Potter series, although I don’t think they actually required whips to suck the joy and soul right out of people. I seem to recall that the immediate antidote for encounters with such loathesome creatures was to eat some chocolate! 😉
And now that I’ve taken this cartoon very seriously, I’m going to find myself something funny to read/watch/listen to, have a chocolate truffle with breakfast ’cause it’s my birthday and I can eat what I want to…, (very bad paraphrase of that old song “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” by Lesley Gore)and enjoy my day. 🙂
Hope you have a good day too.
Hi Sue, Happy birthday. Your breakfast sounds delightful. You make a good point. People who crack the whip are usually insecure. They don’t know how to handle authority. They think that they need to keep their thumb on top of everyone. This only makes people angry. If only they would learn that the bully technique is the worst way to lead people.
If you win the heart, the mind follows, and influence without authority is the key to effectiveness in today’s knowledge worker world.
I know it’s a little bit cruel but when I’ve been challenged by these insecure but controlling, bullying sorts of people, I tend to pull them up on the fact that they are not good negotiators and are being aggressive and I’ve had varied results. The good ones take a step back and are quite humble and apologise profusely. The rest only get worse……I wonder if i’d have been better not saying anything at all!!