You finish a report, a project, a task, and your boss takes the credit for it. It was his or her success, not yours.
What do you do? It happened to me. I kept my mouth shut at first. But when it happened, again and again, I became frustrated and angry.
Lies Never Work
And then this happened.
The President of the university came into my office. This had never happened. But we were in the middle of many conflicts on campus, and I was responsible for communications.
I invited him to sit down, and he said, No, I can’t stay. Then he looked down and saw a mock-up of a digital sign design. He picked it up. He said he loved it. Why haven’t I seen this? The President asked?
I don’t know, I stammered.
The President knew I was lying, I had submitted it to my boss, but she didn’t like it and refused to show it to him. She wanted another design.
This happened often. The design was good, but she wanted to torment my team and me, so she rejected it. This happened often.
I’m going to take this, he said, I opened my mouth to protest, and he just glared at me. I shut up.
My Inability to Lie Causes Trouble
Later my supervisor, a vice president, called me. It was late, about 8 p.m. I was on highway 99, driving home. She wanted to fire me, she said. I can’t work like this with you going over my head. You know this is the insubordination; I told her I was sorry. Why was the design on your desk? she asked. I was going to discuss it with the graphic designer.
That’s no excuse. She yelled at me about how bad I made her look and how she could no longer work with me. I didn’t respond. What could I say? She ranted and raved, and I just listened. Finally, she hung up. I didn’t know if I was fired or not.
She lied. She bullied. I was in trouble. She was the boss.
Someone, a friend, asked me once, why are you so scared of your bosses?
I shrugged.
They said, what’s the worst that could happen to you?
Get fired? I responded.
So what! you will get another job.
I didn’t want to leave my job.
Now, looking back, I’m sorry I felt that way. I wish I had left long before the bullying got so bad.
If you are in a situation like this, please do what you can to leave. I know with the economy the way it is, that’s not as easy as it sounds.
What is the moral of this story? What is my point? Bosses lie—bosses bully. We just have to stay strong, deal with it, and hang in there. And never stop looking for another job.
People in Hell Want Ice Water
I’m Gloria Moraga; this is One-On-One, Communication. Wanting Ice Water. We all want bosses who don’t lie.
Let’s face it. We all lie. But most of us try to keep our lies small. Like, “No, those pants don’t make you look chubby.” Or, “this is great pasta.” You understand.
But what about the boss who lies and destroys your work and your career. And our lives. What do we do?
Lying Leaders are Killing Us
We are in the midst of unprecedented times in the United States. So I’m using the lies the President has told us to highlight how damaging Big Lies can be.
Trump is a Master-Liar. He uses lies to market himself and his brand. His followers, including members of the once-grand Republican Party, believe him. And enable him. They are hurting our country. People are dying.
I just want this nightmare to end. And I don’t want to die because of this madman’s stupidity.
I prepared a long list of lies that President Trump has told, and now he has used them to build his “Brand.”
I found a great website, it’s call “McSweeneys.”
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-complete-listing-so-far-atrocities-1-995#2020
These lies are taken from this website. I only include a few.
February 24, 2020 – “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,” Trump tweeted as the virus spread at an alarming rate.
March 18, 2020 – Even though the World Health Organization advised him not to, as his words could give rise to racial profiling, Trump defended his use of the term “Chinese virus” to refer to COVID-19.
April 25, 2020 – “I never said the pandemic was a Hoax!” Trump tweeted. “Who would say such a thing?” Two months earlier, at a South Carolina rally, he said, “Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,” he told the crowd on February 28. “And this is their new hoax.”
April 29, 2020 – Trump berated his political advisers after they told him that his polling numbers were declining in key states due to his handling of the pandemic. According to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Trump repeatedly said, “I am not fucking losing to Joe Biden.”
June 24, 2020 – At least six advance staffers, including two Secret Service employees, tested positive for COVID-19 after helping staff Trump’s rally in Tulsa.
June 28, 2020 – Trump tweeted, then deleted, a video that showed a supporter of his shouting “white power” at anti-Trump protesters at The Villages, a Florida retirement community. “Thank you to the great people of The Villages,” he wrote in his tweet.
June 29, 2020 – Trump retweeted a video of a white couple threatening peaceful protesters outside their St. Louis mansion. The man brandished a semi-automatic rifle, and the woman pointed a handgun at the crowd.
July 14, 2020 – All data about patients with the coronavirus must be sent by hospitals to a central database in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration said. The order bypassed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and meant that information might not be accessible to the public.
This continues to stun me.
Stopping the flow of important information is now happening in America.
October 24, 2020 – Speaking about the coronavirus at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Trump declared, “We’re doing great, we’re rounding the turn, our numbers are incredible.” The day before, more than 85,000 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in the United States — the highest number on any single day since the pandemic began.
November 4, 2020 – Baselessly alleging “fraud” in the election process, Trump falsely declared that he had won the presidential election. “This is a fraud on the American public,” he told a crowd of supporters in the East Room at 2:30 a.m. “This is an embarrassment to our country. “
End of the quotes from “McSweeneys.”
Trump is an embarrassment.
Today is Friday, November 20, 2020, Trump is doing what I was always afraid my boss would do. He is firing people left and right. I don’t even want to mention a number because it changes every day.
The President continues his lies and his purging. And what is that lying doing?
The Short List of Damages
- PEOPLE ARE DYING
- It’s made many Americans believe that the Covid Pandemic is a hoax.
- They refuse to wear masks or distance or wash their hands.
- That has resulted in 250,000 American deaths from Covid.
- The virus is spreading. More businesses are shutting down.
- People are unemployed.
- Congress won’t compromise. There is no relief coming from the federal government.
- It’s the holiday season, and people are lining up for food,
- We are hungry in American as the maniac in the white house watches television.
- He refuses to acknowledge that he lost the election.
- This is making a mockery of our election process and
- Putting the orderly executive transition from one President to the next, of which we are so proud, in jeopardy.
When I was being bullied at work, it’s not only bad for me but bad for the staff. Bad for the work we are trying to do and bad for the university. When I was called in for my demotion. I thanked the bullies and was happily demoted. That wasn’t enough for the boss bullies. They continued to bully me until I left.
I finally left.
It’s time for us to work together in America. But, the bully, the liar, the great marketing Madman is digging in.
Words are important. Lies do nothing but hurt.
We need to talk to each other and come face-to-face with the facts. Before it’s too late… Do this in your life.
Talk one on one. Be safe. I’m Gloria Moraga. Please subscribe.
