The media sandstorm being whipped up about Brown's bullying behaviour comes as something of a surprise to me. Rumours of his temper and aggressive management of staff have been circulating for years. But it is not the accusation that he has been bullying staff that worries me most; instead I think the responses to the allegations are far more of a concern.
Lord Mandelson, for example, said that he had experienced Brown's wrath, and that he took his medicine "like a man". That Mandelson claims this was the brave thing to do only undermines attempts to stop this type of behaviour in the workplace. How can it be braver to allow this behaviour to go on, rather than challenging it?
Gordon Brown's responses to these allegations are also concerning. When asked whether he has bullied anyone, the PM consistently responds: "No. I get angry sometimes, doesn't everybody? I get impatient." It's clear that he either does not understand, or does not care, about the impact of his angry or impatient behaviour, and how it can be a form of bullying.
But why do people bully in the workplace? Brown has defended his behaviour by claiming he is "driven to do the things". In reality, research has demonstrated that people who demonstrate bullying behaviour report a greater need for power and authority and are motivated by domination. Given Brown's position as PM, this would suggest that simply achieving power and authority does not stop the bullying; if anything, it is likely to encourage the bully to continue with the behaviours that have seen them promoted, or voted, into the successful position they are in.
Whilst I don't believe for one second that the culture of shouting and being angry in British politics is something that Brown is solely responsible for introducing (you only have to look at the way MPs jostle and jeer one another in the House of Commons), I do believe that we all have choices to make about how we conduct ourselves at work. Brown simply chooses to preserve this particular tradition of British politics, and perhaps hides his actions less well than most. Rather than simply focussing on Brown's behaviour, the question should be asked, how many Ministers, Junior Ministers, and senior civil servants have mirrored his bullying tactics to get what they want? And how far down the public sector food chain has this behaviour trickled? Perhaps it's not so surprising after all that there are twice as many claims of harassment and bullying in the public sector compared to the private sector.
Finally, a mention for Christine Pratt, the chief executive of the National Bullying Helpline: confidential is supposed to mean confidential. How can going to the press, even before raising concerns at a general level with the employer, ever be the right approach in this situation?
I'll start with a stereotype: when it comes to Valentine's day, in my experience, it is the women who spend time searching for the perfect gift and a thoughtful card, and it is the men who mumble under their breath about the 'commercialisation' of Valentine's, whilst paying through the nose for a last minute bunch of red roses.
But I recently came across an interesting piece of research on gift giving which might shed some more light on this. In 2008, Dunne at el looked at gift giving in relationships and differences between genders.
Interestingly, they found that women who gave men poor gifts were perceived less positively than those who gave better gifts. No real surprises there then! However, when the experiment was reversed, women were relatively unaffected by whether the quality of the gift was good or bad. Their perception of the man giving the gift didn't change.
So, is the stereotype true? Could it be that women buy nice gifts as they know/have experienced the consequences of poor ones? Have men come to realise that for most women the quality just doesn't matter? Before the male readers strike Valentine's gifts off the 'to do' list, read on...
These results were only short term and they didn't measure the longer term impact on ongoing relationships. What we know in general is that although good gifts don't necessarily make a relationship better, poor gifts can have a negative impact. Poor gifts can highlight how different we are to our partner and can, therefore, damage relationships ("he/she just doesn't understand me ...")
So, when you're picking your Valentine's gift this year, take a second to think about if you're in it for the short term or the long haul - and choose wisely!
It's official. We are out of recession. Okay, it may be marginal. It may well be possible that the sustained growth of the past quarters will recede again in coming months. But for now, it's official. We are out of the recession. Six words that should get us all feeling upbeat and optimistic about the future.
So why, despite this news, is there such a strong and enduring sense of pessimism? In the last week, since the news of sustained economic growth was announced, I've heard nothing but downbeat forecasts for the future. Speaking to senior and fairly influential leaders in business reveals a consistent view that the recession is set for another few years. Apparently this is a 'double-dip' recession and we're about to slide down the double-dip bit. And all positive indicators of recovery have been falsely propped up by cash injection anyway, so the recovery will soon evaporate with the VAT changes and higher interest rates. Everyone seems to have a view on the future, but it's all rather negative.
So here's a challenge. A simple challenge. Be optimistic. Be positive. Not mindlessly or vaguely hopeful, but focused and determinedly optimistic.
Psychologists have long distinguished between two distinct ways of looking at life. There's optimism and there's pessimism. Pessimists tend to believe that negative events will last a long time. They see negative events as threatening and damaging, and believe that a bad experience could undermine everything in life. Facing the same situations, optimists see setbacks as temporary. They see a loss as an opportunity to learn. They are more resilient and determined. And they see a challenge as just that. A challenge. Something that can be overcome with effort and resolve. As Sir Alex Ferguson commented on Andy Murray's recent defeat at the Australian Open, "I am always stronger after I have lost a game".
And consider the side-effects of outlook. Pessimists, for instance, tend to give up more quickly and more easily than their optimistic counterparts. They feel depressed more frequently and will talk of stronger feelings of 'helplessness' in which nothing they try seems to work in their favour.
This isn't meant to be patronising advice to a no-doubt informed and fairly hard-nosed readership. But I'm starting to feel that we need a wake-up call. It's very easy, through fear of the unknown, to become caught in a wave of pessimism. Let's face it, in a perverse way it's sometimes comforting to look on the bleak side. At least it doesn't raise expectations.
But, in reality, pessimism perpetuates pessimism, whether that's with your mates, your colleagues or, more importantly, the people who look to you for guidance and leadership. So perhaps now is the time to step back and make a conscious choice. Optimists also tend to live longer, apparently, so if you do want to be around to see the next great recession, try to look on the bright side.
The climate change row shows the importance of clear, straightforward, memorable messages.
Click here to read the original blog in full on the Management Today website - Psychology at Work Blog, a blog page about the psychology of business, management and leadership written by Pearn Kandola.
Resolutions can work. But you need to focus on the process of change, not just the outcome.
Click here to read the original blog in full on the Management Today website - Psychology at Work Blog, a blog page about the psychology of business, management and leadership written by Pearn Kandola.
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The media sandstorm being whipped up about Brown's bullying behaviour comes as something of a surprise to me. Rumours of his temper and aggressive management of staff have been circulating for years. But it is not the accusation that he has been bullying staff that worries me most; instead I think the responses to the allegations are far more of a concern.
Whilst I don't believe for one second that the culture of shouting and being angry in British politics is something that Brown is solely responsible for introducing (you only have to look at the way MPs jostle and jeer one another in the House of Commons), I do believe that we all have choices to make about how we conduct ourselves at work. Brown simply chooses to preserve this particular tradition of British politics, and perhaps hides his actions less well than most. Rather than simply focussing on Brown's behaviour, the question should be asked, how many Ministers, Junior Ministers, and senior civil servants have mirrored his bullying tactics to get what they want? And how far down the public sector food chain has this behaviour trickled? Perhaps it's not so surprising after all that there are twice as many claims of harassment and bullying in the public sector compared to the private sector.