thoughts on adversity and bullying in the workplace

Just a blog about some thoughts on luck & adversity...

I have been reading about adversity lately, & upon my readings I have discovered this:

http://bethagnew.blogspot.com.au/

Hard Times come about for three reasons:

1. The result of choices we make;
2. The result of choices others make; and
3. The result of day-to-day circumstances.



Sometimes things just don't work as it is out of your control. My life has included many disappointments that have always been outside my control.

Just like catching a bad illness, every-time I have a good job that seems to be going somewhere, there has been a jealous manager to get me quickly kicked out.

There is nothing you can do with jealous managers, if you are a good at your job and a threat, they will get  you out quick, and this happens to a lot of people. I am not alone here. It is common to put blame on yourself, but this last time it is really hard to say that was the case.

I have read many forums and websites and this is all too common a practise. It makes sense that there is endemic bullying in the workplace, as a lot of it is about people exploiting others and profiting from their misfortune. An insecure manager has already realised he doesn't deserve to be in the company and is a liability.  He will use the staff below him to earn his living.  A parasite.

The other option I can endure would be to have a "just good enough" work ethic, but that is not part of me.

The key here is how to cope with this adversity.

I have taken up running to see how good I really am.  Maybe I have over-estimated myself and am in fact mediocre.  With running I have full control (except for illness not brought on by a bad diet and drinking.) I can train, watch my diet and read up on how to be better.  So at the moment I can run 4kms in 16 minutes.  Yeah it is good, but isn't going to win myself races. I do have a sinus condition that affects my performance but it is not stopping me.  I am trying to find solutions by giving up dairy, trying honey and other supplements.

So what has running got to do with bullying in the workplace?

For me it is about control.  My experience in the workplace is that everything is out of your control. Whenever you do a good job that customers rave on about it is ignored by management.  If you take initiative & make your own decisions and the customers rave on about about exceptional service, management step in and start to make threats (as only they want to be seen as giving exceptional service through delegating to their sub-ordinates). With running I can control the outcome, whereas in the workplace everything is out of my control, especially with the abundance of incompetent and insecure management that use their sub-ordinates as scapegoats, a common theme we have in today's world.