The Know-It-All .... hello! any room in there for the rest of us?

So you head into a management meeting to discuss progress to date. The person in charge of the meeting is what some would consider snobby, condescending and contemptuous, appearing to know it all, but in reality, they actually know nothing of real worth. The ‘know-it-all’ may convince their audience that they actually possess special knowledge that makes them superior.

They often rely on their team to focus on the detail of the work in hand and to problem solve and firefight, to come up with solutions and a way forward, only to dismiss these ideas as useless.

The annoying thing is that at a later date the same idea is proposed by them as a solution to the challenge 'we've all been facing' and then will take the credit for it.

Convincingly believing that they are the person who always knows best, they broadcast their winner self-image and make everyone else into comparative losers.

They also lack humility and announce again and again that they are the smartest, most insightful, most creative person in the room. (sometimes they are).

Sometimes these individuals are highly educated, well-informed people, who really do know more than almost everyone else, when driven and naturally gifted they may achieve great things, but in the process, they tend to treat their employees and colleagues with contempt and refuse to share credit.

These people can be called "Know it all" narcissists, according to Joseph Burgo.

This was my day to day experience at work.

Trying to navigate a management meeting and get the job done when you are faced with the challenge of interacting with someone like this can be daunting, exhausting and soul destroying. Especially when you stood the risk of being mocked and told you were stupid or deliberately humiliated in front of your colleagues.

Welcome to my world I would think as I recounted the events of the day. Continually convincing myself that this was just the way things were done. It was only a matter of time before, what can only be described, as a toxic work environment for me would become so destructive that I would have to do something to change things.

I know now that this isn't the way things should be done and there is a better more positive way to interact with each other and get the job done. 

If you struggling with a difficult situation at work and just can't seem to overcome the self-doubt that results from listening to it and working through it day after day then I would love to hear more about your experiences and would like to invite you to complete my survey or message me with more details about your story.

Please CLICK HERE to complete my survey.

If you want to know a little more about it then please scroll down and read more below.

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN MY STUDY ON WORKPLACE CULTURE

I need your support, please. I am conducting a study for my book, Roar! How to tame the bully, and I would be very grateful if you would participate in my study.

In my eBook, you will have read about my own experience with workplace bullying and its toll on my relationships and my health (mentally and physically). That is why I am determined to help others recognise the signs of workplace bullying early on and to take action before it is too late.

If you have worked in a situation where you have been the Witness or Target of:

1. behaviour that is intentionally negative and malicious, whether physical or emotional, from one or more persons,
2. negative behaviour that is consistently aggressive and persistent, and
3. behaviour that is driven by another person’s desire to obtain control.

Then I would like to invite you to participate in this study.

This survey is being sent to individuals working in organisations across all industries worldwide. Your participation will help assure that the results generated present an accurate reflection of the prevalence of bullying behaviour in workplace cultures today.

TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY - CLICK HERE

The survey is anonymous and treated in the strictest confidence. You may refuse to answer any question or quit the survey at any time. It will take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete.

I’d love to get industry and country-specific analysis too, so the more responses I get, the better, so please feel free to send this link to your colleagues.

Thank you in advance,

Marilise de Villiers

TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY - CLICK HERE

PS: Although there may be no direct benefit to the participant, there are possible benefits to organisations and society as a whole. Leaders, managers, and human resource personnel may learn techniques for identifying, investigating, and managing workplace bullying. Potential benefits to employees would include improved mental, physical and emotional well-being. Raising awareness of workplace bullying could potentially benefit leaders and organisations by increasing employee engagement and productivity.