Blue Helm

I was a pretty quiet kid, at least in public. At home I would let loose and be my loud, outgoing, and sometimes annoying self. At school I had a close knit group of friends and I kept pretty much to myself outside of that group. Most people liked me and never gave me much grief outside of the occasional jab at my last name, which I didn’t mind. But then came the sixth grade, and I was faced with my first bully.

His name was John and he sat in front of me on the bus. He wasn’t a very big guy, but he had a very bad attitude. At some point during the year he decided to start picking on me. He would turn around and say mean things to me and make fun of me. At first I just ignored him. After all, why should I dignify his stupidity with a response? Ignoring John just made things worse as he graduated from verbal to physical annoyance. One day he decided he needed to lightly slap the side of my head a few times to get a reaction out of me. His weak slaps only hurt my pride. Unfortunately his ploy worked. As I got off the bus I walked past his seat and slapped him in the back of the head. I was safe at the time because if he chased me off the bus the driver would have stopped him. As the bus pulled away I looked up at his window and saw him staring at me full of rage.

The next day on the way to school John told me he wanted to meet at a certain location during recess. The rest of the day leading up to recess I was pretty nervous. I told my predicament to a few of my friends and my larger friend told me not to worry. I was still worried, but had a little more confidence.

The designated hour came and I met with my foe at the chosen location, my friends in tow. He didn’t have any friends with him, but that didn’t stop him. He mouthed off to me. My buddy whispered in my ear to go and push him. I was hesitant but I stepped up and pushed him pretty hard. John rushed at me, but my friend stepped in front of me just before John got to me. John looked at my formidable friend and took a step back. My friend then said “I don’t want you messing with Chad anymore.” John’s confidence was shot; I could see fear in his eyes. He backed away and I never had problems with him again.

I learned a great lesson that day about networking. When I had a problem with John I had a network of friends willing to help me. I may have been able to handle John on my own, but there was no need. My network was there to help. I learned that a strong network can save you in a pinch.

Business is no different. Your business is going to run into bullies. There will be competitors, customers or just random people that will attack you. Sometimes they will attack you for no apparent reason. Maybe they’re just jealous of your success. So what do you do with a business bully? How do you handle them? Ignoring a bully only works some of the time. Sometimes it makes things worse. What you need to do is proactively build your networks before the bullies show up.

Your business needs to be on Twitter, Facebook or wherever else you can build the strongest network. As you develop strong relationships with your customers, followers or fans, they will step up to the bully and tell them to take a hike. They will defend and build up your business because they are loyal to you.

Stepping into the social media world can be scary. You may have to face some bullies. Don’t let that fear stop you. You will make friends, and your friends are much more powerful than the weak bullies of the world.

What do you think? Have you ever faced a business bully? What happened? I’d love to hear.

Don't let The Rage Monsters get you!

Another blogger has offended you. You’re mad at yourself for doing something dumb. Anything anyone does infuriates you. Your mind is clouded and you can’t think straight. You’re frustrated that your PR plan isn’t working. You’re thinking of doing something rash and it’s very possible you just might snap. These disheartening symptoms are indicative of only one thing. Whether you like it or not, you are a victim of The Rage.

What do you do when you get The Rage?

1. Recognize The Rage has you – When The Rage has taken over, the most crucial step to defeating it is to realize you have it. Once you recognize that you aren’t thinking straight, you can make the appropriate adjustments to countering potentially embarrassing and harmful actions.

2. Think before you leap – Take a moment to stop and think before you do anything. Ask yourself a few questions: Who is your angry blog post going to effect? Will it hurt your business? Will your mom read this? What good is your reaction really going to do? Is the fleeting euphoria of reacting really worth the consequences? Posting a rant is only okay if you’re in control of your emotions and have calmly thought through what you’re about to post. Remember, there is a difference between acting and reacting. The key to avoiding negative consequences online is to avoid reacting, especially when The Rage has you. You don’t want to end up getting fired, losing a client or offending a loved one because you reacted in haste.

3. Take a break – Sometimes you’ve just hit the wall. Maybe you have a case of writer’s block. Take a walk, a nap, eat lunch or work out. Often a change of scenery will help you clear your mind and chase out The Rage.

4. Meditate – Meditation is powerful. Take time to simply sit and think with no distractions. Find a quite place, turn off your phone, computer, MP3 player or anything else electronic and just think.

The Rage is unavoidable, but you can control it. What do you do to beat The Rage?