Reading Material for the Office Bully

The Triestino workplace (especially the University) is full of office bullies. These are the insecure folks who like to throw their weight around, give favors to their sweeties because it makes them feel more powerful (there are less and less resources, thus the office bully is losing influence, and he knows it, which makes him even beastier!), send threatening letters to higher-ups when they don't get their way, and, sadly, often do get their way because the people they are bullying want them to shut up.

Well, I realized that the problem with these bullies is they don't read enough. So, I would like to propose three books that may help them realize that treating other people badly is not a healthy way to live.

Here is my first recommendation, The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. This is a great book for bullies, but also for their victims. Need some help walking away from negativity? Who better to explain how than the Dalai Lama!

Recommendation number two. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. In this book we have the friendly ladybug who is happy to share her aphids with the grouchy ladybug. The grouchy ladybug wants all the aphids for himself, though, and likes to pick fights. When the friendly lady bug stands up to him, the grouchy lady bug decides she is "not big enough" for him to fight and goes off to find someone bigger to threaten. This keeps happening until he finds a whale who slaps his arse back to the same leaf he was eating on that morning. An important learning opportunity for all bullies!

And, since we're on a roll, dear Bully, here is one more book for you to try out. The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton. This one is good for the bully but also for the misguided boss who thinks that having a bully in the office is good for business. This book (yes, it was actually a Harvard Business Review Study) has a helpful formula for recognizing if you (or someone you know) is a card-carrying asshole. It's a great test. Try it!

1. Do you treat people you feel are higher in rank than you well and people lower in rank badly?

2. When you walk in a room, do the people in it leave?

If you answered yes to one or both of these questions, then you are DEFINITELY a card-carrying asshole. 

Yes, all three of these books are available in Italian.