How narrative attacks impact employee trust

Here's the wicked loop that many people are involved in right now in tech (big tech included). It is not a new phenomena, but understanding it is critical if you want to figure out how to break out of it. As companies cut staff and reduce costs, the job market becomes more competitive. People focus on self-preservation and keeping a low profile instead of doing impactful work and taking risks. The execution gap increases. As the execution gap grows, leadership pressure increases, with demands to "do better" and "get things moving" becoming more intense. Leaders look for causes and settle on salient narratives—like remote work, middle management, rapid hiring in prior years, founder mode, or employees “getting too comfortable.” Leadership acts, but actions are often misplaced. Trust in leadership to do the right thing drops. Employees feel even more uncertain and afraid of standing out. As fear and risk aversion increase, transparency drops, with employees avoiding raising issues, providing honest feedback, or openly sharing information. With less transparency, problems escalate more slowly, information silos form, and feedback loops break down. It takes longer to fix problems and make sense of things. Distrust between teams grows, as there is less visibility into each other’s work and intentions. Blame narratives start to emerge between teams, individuals, and layers of management, as everyone searches for someone else to hold accountable. The execution gap widens further and dissonance increases, leading to more leadership pressure, more fear, and more team mistrust. As things become less and less coherent, people feel more drawn to simplified narratives to make sense of what's happening. Over time, people’s defensive behaviors and responses become internalized. The execution gap is now very real. Leaders have tangible results to point to as proof. Similarly, leaders themselves are acting in ways that perpetuate the very dynamics they fear. There are tangible actions that draw ire. It’s no longer a misunderstanding or a misalignment that can be easily corrected. The loop has transformed into reality, embedded in the organization’s culture, and reinforcing itself at every level. How do you break the loop? I’d be a billionaire if I knew, but one thought… “We change the world when we meet people in a different way.” — Peter Block At some point, the team needs to engage differently. They need to let go of defensive postures and assumptions (at least temporarily) in the hopes that new behaviors can emerge. All the plans, assumptions, and narratives are up in our heads. None of it really matters until it translates into new interactions. Because of the power dynamics at play, this courage probably needs to come from those higher up in the power structure. How to trigger that is anyone’s contextual guess.

IS your workplace bulldust detector working? Every workplace is prone to being filled up with a noxious mixture of false claims, deceitful narratives, baseless rumours and fabricated stories. This concoction of misinformation, or “workplace bulldust”, can pose a significant threat to the integrity of the modern place of work. While workplace bulldust is nothing new, advances in technology have significantly increased the volume of deceptive information that employees are exposed to every day. Workplace bulldust takes on various forms within the organisational context, from deceptive conversations and misleading reports to manipulated data and skewed statistics. It is a form of persuasion that pays little attention to the truth and has the potential to infiltrate every corner of the workplace, from boardrooms and team meetings to email communications and project management. Dubious claims often permeate presentations, employee evaluations and corporate communications. And the tales spun by those in charge and smooth-talking colleagues can sometimes be more fanciful than a fairy tale. Even astute managers and HR professionals fall victim to workplace bulldust, spending considerable resources on consultants who promise quick and miraculous solutions to complex employment issues. Research and analysis are not immune either. Some reports and findings seem to be generated solely for the purpose of generating buzz, with a heavy dose of hype yet little factual basis. The consequences of workplace bulldust can be far-reaching and impact everything from employee morale and job satisfaction to the overall productivity of the organisation. The presence of bulldust erodes trust, fosters cynicism and hinders effective decision-making. Each employee possesses their own internal bulldust detector even though it might need to be activated and fine-tuned. It begins with scrutinising the source of information and evaluating whether the individual providing the information is credible and knowledgeable within the workplace context. It involves asking yourself whether you are inclined to accept information simply because it aligns with your preconceived beliefs or preferences. The more you desire a particular piece of workplace bulldust to be true, the more susceptible you become to accepting it as fact. Applying the mantra “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” can be a valuable tool in your arsenal against workplace bulldust. When confronted with dubious claims, consider probing further with questions like “what is the basis for this assertion” or “can you provide concrete evidence to support this claim”. Above all, avoid blindly adopting a position or making decisions solely because they are said to be supported by data. Data can be manipulated, misrepresented or selectively presented to advance a particular agenda. #workplace #job #leadership #management #humanresources Cartoon used under licence: CartoonStock

I first heard about the Coldplay kiss cam video, not from a colleague or news alert, but from my 14-year-old daughter who thought it was beyond wild that two people who work together were the ones caught kissing on the jumbotron. When your teenager, who doesn’t follow business, is the first to bring it up, it’s clear the story isn’t just circulating online, it’s everywhere. It stops being a business headline and becomes part of a larger cultural moment. What stood out to me, beyond the embarrassment of being caught on camera, is the speculation that another team member was also there. If that’s true, it means this relationship wasn’t a secret internally, which signals a far bigger issue than one lapse in judgment. When a company’s HR function, which is responsible for protecting employees and upholding standards, appears complicit or silent, the fallout isn’t just external. Employees lose faith that policies apply equally, complaints become harder to manage, and credibility at the top evaporates. Then there’s the “apology” circulating online, which has been ruled a fake. It makes me think about what a real apology would actually look like in a situation like this. It’s not a carefully crafted PR statement meant to soften headlines. A real apology owns the harm, explains how leadership will be held accountable, and outlines what steps, whether that’s an independent investigation, leadership changes, or structural fixes, are being taken to rebuild trust. Anything less rings hollow, and people, both inside and outside the company, see through it fast. For other CEOs and other company leaders, this raises two big questions. Do we have the culture and guardrails to keep leadership behavior from becoming a risk to the business? And if a crisis does hit, are we willing to handle it in a way that rebuilds trust instead of just trying to control the narrative? #LeadershipLessons

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀—𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 I was asked to coach a leader who was perceived as a bully—lacking emotional intelligence, playing favorites, and creating a toxic environment. But after some digging, I realized something surprising: It wasn’t him. It was how he was being portrayed. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—misusing his name to exert pressure on others: “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄.” “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.” Over time, this created a distorted view of the leader. When results from an employee engagement survey came in, an entire section of the company felt distrusted and alienated. The comments were harsh, they accused the CEO of toxicity and playing favorites among other things. Meanwhile, other departments had no such concerns. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. And it’s more common than people think. - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼. - 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱. - 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. How are you ensuring that the perception of your leadership matches the reality? Have you seen Perception Hijacking play out in your organization? #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #EmotionalIntelligence #Trust #HighStakesLeadership #StrategicInfluence #CEOcoaching #OrdinaryResilience

🔄 When the Bully Plays the Victim: A Hidden Workplace Dynamic One of the most insidious forms of workplace bullying is when the perpetrator genuinely believes they are the victim—and casts their actual target as the aggressor. This reversal not only confuses colleagues and HR but can leave the real target isolated, discredited, and psychologically harmed. 📌 Why does this happen? Psychologists call this projection—a defense mechanism where individuals unconsciously attribute their own unacceptable feelings or behaviors to others. In bullying scenarios, the bully may accuse the target of being “difficult,” “aggressive,” or “toxic,” when in fact these are traits they cannot accept in themselves. This dynamic is especially common when the target is: Highly self-directed or independent Seen as challenging the status quo Emotionally intelligent or empathetic Bullies often feel threatened by these traits and, rather than self-reflect, they externalize their discomfort. The result? A distorted narrative where the bully feels justified in their actions and the target is gaslit into silence. 📉 The impact on targets is severe: Anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms [Bullied An.... - Forbes] Career sabotage and reputational damage Loss of trust in organizational systems 🛡️ What can organizations do to protect targets? Train HR and leadership to recognize projection and manipulation tactics. Implement trauma-informed policies that prioritize psychological safety. Encourage documentation: Targets should keep detailed records of incidents. Avoid false equivalence: Not all conflicts are “two-sided.” Sometimes, one party is clearly abusive. Create anonymous reporting channels to reduce fear of retaliation. 💬 If you've witnessed or experienced this dynamic, you're not alone. It's time we stop mistaking manipulation for victimhood and start protecting those who truly need it. #WorkplaceBullying #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #HR #MentalHealth #OrganizationalCulture #TraumaInformedWorkplace