Episode 32 - Didier Lobard & Meanness
We all need to be tough in life. But how far can we take ‘tough’ before we’re just being mean? What about tough CEO’s? When do we get to blame them for bullying?
The business world was rocked last year when the CEO of France Telecom and several of his managers were found guilty of bullying their employees so badly, and so cruelly, that 35 of them committed suicide, directly blaming the company for their deaths. Here in America, we justify the actions of CEOs and managers by saying that they’re being tough to get the best out of their employees. So that’s our episode today; Is it tough, or mean? And how will we know when we cross that line?
We’ll also touch on science and sports psychology to determine how necessary ‘toughness’ is for the human experience. How to make yourself tough, in case you aren’t already. What separates tough from mean (spoiler; it’s all about how you utilize power!) How military training now implements ‘strategic optimism’ to toughen its drill sergeants. And, finally, why it’s so difficult for us to identify our own bullying habits.
History Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/world/europe/france-telecom-trial.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48948776 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50865211
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_S.A.#Acquisition_of_Orange_and_privatisation
Science Links:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/are-you-mentally-tough/
https://www.safeathopkins.org/resources/for-managers/tough-boss-or-workplace-bully/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/the-science-of-smart-how-to-build-mental-toughness/