In the 6+ years of doing this blog the one topic that has garnered the greatest response, without a doubt, is the issue of being thrown under the bus at work. It is also a topic that is very often ‘googled’ as it turns out. Having that much wide-spread interest it seems only appropriate that this topic would become one for my next eBook. Therefore, today, I am excited to announcement the results of this effort …
BEING THROWN UNDER THE BUS
Why It Happens | Who Does It | How to Respond | How to Avoid
In business there have always been those who seem ready, willing, and able to throw someone under the bus. It is a form of bullying on the adult level, and there is nothing pleasant about being under that bus, either. It’s often painful and damaging. It has caused many to leave their job, retreat into a cocoon almost to a point of being reclusive and/or have the one thrown lose their energy and enthusiasm for the work they do and the organization for which they work. None of these reactions offer positives.
Regardless of the type of organization or business, there exists in each the tendency of some to throw others under the bus. It occurs both at times of an excess or scarce job availability. It has more to do with the individual inclined to use this as a means of their own advancement or a way to prevent others from advancing or being recognized for the work being done. It also has to do with a person wanting to avoid responsibility for their own failures and inadequacies.
This eBook is intended to explore all aspects of being thrown under the bus. It will address what this means, who within the organization is inclined to do it and who within the organization are likely targets. It will also address how one can successful emerge from such an occurrence as well as what one can do to avoid a repetition of being in this position in the future.
The areas of focus include:
- The Meaning of Being Thrown Under the Bus
- The Likely Ones Who Are Inclined to Do the Throwing
- The Impact on the Individuals and the Organization Where Throwing Another Under the Bus Is Tolerated
- Responding After Having Been Thrown Under the Bus … You Get To Choose
- How to Minimize the Likelihood of Finding Yourself Under the Bus
There is no way to present the issue of being thrown under the bus as being anything positive in terms of the experience itself. Given that being sent there by another is something that is unfortunately common within the business world, there are definite things that can be done to proactively lessen the chance of one’s experiencing it. And to the extent that it happens, the way in which we respond and the amount of planning and effort that we are willing to put into it will actually serve to enhance and further our success.
My hope and intention is that in reading the full eBook you realize the power that you have as the one thrown by your understanding of why this happens, the characteristics of a person’s inclination or need to do this and how you can emerge victorious!
Click HERE to access the ePaper … Being Thrown Under the Bus
Mike Dorman
Mike, what a great topic. I have experience with the phenomenon and you are right about all of the consequences. But sometimes there is a silver lining. At Capitol after returning from Europe, I found a company is dire straights. The economy was crappy, the Beattles were history and there wasn’t enough extra cash flow to by a soda pop. I was wrpping up the affairs of the companies whose assets we sold, and there was very little benefit in that work because it didn’t generata any cash, it just prevented taxing agencies of 3 countries that loved to tax from getting a pound out of the dead companies. After bouncing around on several projects, plus the European wrap up, a Vice President (the Controller) asked me out for lunch. I didn’t work for him and I thought that he was looking for a wrap up briefing on my work related to the European companies. It wasn’t but I never knew why he wanted to spend a couple of hours chatting about damned near everything in the world. I learned some time late what was going on. We had a really big problem in the sales department. The sales men were using cooperative advertising money to give product discounts to customers, and still earn their full commissions on sales. Not only that, but there was an FTC investigation relating to this issue. My boss (the Senior VP CFO) called me up to his office. On arriving the Controller was with him and they explained the problem and told me that I was their guy to fix the problem in the Sales Department. The Sales Dept really hadn’t extended an invitation to have me in their organization working on the problems, because if I fixed the cooperative advertising misuse problem, then the senior Sales Management would also have a bite taken out of their commissions. It took a while to develop a system to fix the problem, but I did it, and as soon as the system was working and saving us about $4 million a year, plus fixing part of the problem with the FTC, my boss in the Sales Department called me in and told me about my unpopularity with the sales force and that I was fired with a couple of weeks notice. The bus was about two weeks away and I was laying in the road.. Before the date when I was to be escorted out of the Tower I received a call from the attorney in Legal to whom I had given a lot of support in defending the FTC action, and in response to his request for some more help, I said, sorry pal I’m only permitted to wrap up all my odds and ends before my final day. He asked if I was willing to stay if he got me into the Legal Department. Long and the short was that by the end of the day I was in the General Counsel’s Office being told that I was his paralegal for financial work and that he wanted me out of sales immediately. So Mike, a real dump job turned into almost two fascinating years of work mixing my finance and research skills with developing new skills in drafting responses of subpoenas and interrogatories on some massive suites brought by a former company VP who was actually pissed off when his insider trading cost him a fortune because he had not read the financial correctly. IF THIS IS DISCLOSED IN ANY OF YOUR PUBLICATIONS, PLEASE SANITIZE IT FOR REFERENCES TO THE INDUSTRY AND COMPANY. tHANKS.