The bureaucrats and the upward path

Recent developments in the war with the bureaucrats  who behave like cult members have reminded me of something I wrote in an article about the three paths that people take.

I said this in connection with the path that spirals upward:

“One horrible manager who left the company I was working for was replaced with someone similar. The only good thing that could be said about her was that she wasn't as bad as her predecessor, but this was a still sign of an upward move. I had done my best to deal appropriately with the first unpleasant boss; I had changed and she hadn't, so she could no longer play her games.”

This is similar to what has happened in the last few days: not one but two very unpleasant bureaucrats have resigned from the project that threatens my and my neighbours’ future. 

They have been replaced by people who are easier to deal with. They are still the enemy, but they are less unscrupulous, less lacking in integrity and more pleasant than their predecessors.  They may all be in on it, but the new people are not so deeply in as the old ones were.

I am sure that these departures are no accident and that unseen influences have been at work.

We have earned and attracted better opponents by demonstrating that we are on a higher level than the last lot. We attained that level by all the research we did and by the way we stood our ground, calmly stated our position and presented our case. We were balanced and objective; we behaved like civilised adults. We demonstrated that we could not be tricked, intimidated or manipulated. We would not play their games or follow their scripts.

This article about Strindberg’s secret friend  gives some examples of how not to handle a dispute, with suggestions for better and more effective ways to deal with hostile people.

These suggestions come from personal experience.

It is essential not to take on the role of victim, as this is an admission that the enemy is on a higher level and holds the balance of power. It is also essential not to get furious and make empty threats and wild accusations, as this is an admission of fear and a sign that that the enemy has hit home. We did not threaten the enemy with legal action as such, we just made them aware that we were preparing for a court case as a contingency plan.

In my dealings with the senior bureaucrats as an individual, I did not make angry accusations; I just said that I felt that their attitude was patronising, overbearing and dismissive and that the behaviour of some of their team members was unprofessional.  I pointed out that their automatic dismissals of evidence-based allegations and justifiable complaints were not acceptable answers.

Just as I have been applying what I learned from dealing with cult members to dealing with the first bunch of bureaucrats, I will be applying what I have learned from dealing with the first lot to my dealings with their replacements. If my ideas about the three paths are correct, I will spiral upwards and sooner or later get an even better class of enemy!

We shall see.

In the meantime, here are some more inspiring words from Vernon Howard:

“The very presence of an awakened human being sends a message to mental attackers that makes them want to run and hide.”