3 Tips to Perfectly Prevail Over a Business Bully

If you thought you left your high school bully stuffing you in a locker back in high school, think again. Bullies are everywhere. A bully is a bully regardless of age, education or social status.

I'd like to think in the business world that we all keep our eyes on our own paper. And that there is enough work + success to go around that we all get to drink bubbly champagne on yachts in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea like Beyonce. Is business so terrible out that we need to resort to bullying colleagues to make ourselves look {read: feel} better?

I'm sorry but I guess my little pea-brain just can't comprehend the concept of degrading others to make us feel better.

In mass media bullying is depicted as child's and/or teenager issue.

Bullying is a major social issue that plagues 1 in 3 students.

Do some people just not grow up? That it is an adolescent trait that is carried with us into adulthood and when threatened feel the need to throw a fist clenched, tears streaming down your face temper tantrum.

But we’re adults. We should be passed all this, right?

Recently, this has become an issue for one of my clients and while I'm obligated to not discuss the exact details I can say that it has opened my eyes to a problem that we don't talk about in business. It was a case of a so-called colleague in a different market claiming that they owned rights to a business idea, branding and name. There was a threat of legal action from the very first email interaction. Red flags were immediately raised. This is not something any entrepreneur should take lightly. After several communications it became evident that this was a case of jealous bullying.

Having a business bully just means that you are doing something right.

We talk about strategies for combating a bad review. But what about when it's behind the scenes, how do you combat a bully? One that is constantly harassing you through email. What do you do when a colleague emails you that your idea/thought/passion is not your own and basically they want it for themselves?

There’s enough work for everyone. Why not congratulate + collaborate?

Here are 3 tips for handling a business bully:

1. Keep on doing what your doing cuz haters gonna hate: It is what it is. People are going to be jealous of your success. That's when you know you're on the right track. Others want to take you down because they know they can't do it as well as you are.
2. Kindly set solid boundaries: Setting boundaries is necessary is most all of our relationships and especially so with a business bully. It's not completely appropriate to tell them to just fuck off, especially if the claim is of a serious nature. But kindly, say that you will work with them to resolve the issue and set the boundaries on how communications will be handled. Stand your ground but be nice about it.
3. Consult an attorney: We don't all have college buddies that went to law school or a neighbor that happens to practice business law, but it is nice to have an expert tell you what your legal rights are. It can be expensive but it might be more expensive if the bully gets his way.

Remember, they're just jealous + you should consider it flattering they are that into you.

Bullying is a serious issue for children and young adults but also for entrepreneurs + business owners. They are out there and they will bully you if they think they can get away with it.

Lesson of the day: Don’t take it. Don’t take any shit from a bully.

I certainly hope that you never ever have to deal with a situation that feels hopeless + helpless. I might have rose colored glasses and pie-in-the-sky dreams but we can all get along and be happy + healthy and all the stuffs.

I want you to pledge with me to not be a dick + don’t take any shit. Leave your pledge in the comments or on social media that your with me on this one.