The Bully-Proof Workplace: Essential Strategies, Tips, and Scripts for Dealing with the Office Sociopath

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HOW TO ENGAGE THE BELIER

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second time.

—THOMAS JEFFERSON

A Belier’s intentions and actions are not always easy to detect. A Belier bullies indirectly by telling lies behind the scenes about the target. Pretty soon others get caught up in repeating the lies, which creates an insidious rumor mill within the team or organization. The Belier does more than just violate the standards of civility with regard to people at work. She creates an alternative and false perception of others.

Beliers have a twisted view and interpretation of others’ actions in the workplace, which is probably a projection of their own inadequacies. Any behavior, such as a colleague’s visiting his sick ...