bully for you

One opinion that I see every once in a while is that school bullies eventually get their due.  I think the assumption is that they're more likely to end up in prison, or at least have personality issues that keep them from being accepted in the business world.  I don't know if only a few people think this or many do, but it's ridiculous upon reflection.  Sure, some bullies do end up in prison or with issues that keep them from getting good jobs.  Most of the traits that allow people to gain a social upper hand in the school social world certainly don't do the opposite elsewhere, however.  When people complain about office politics, for example, what else are they really complaining about other than that other people are using bully-style tactics.

In my job I interact with a lot of people working for a lot of different companies.  As a result, I see a lot of different styles of management.  Some that show up occasionally are those that integrate elements of bullying.  Honestly, bullying employees to just below the threshold of what HR considers abuse can be an effective short-term motivator.  I cannot be the only person who has observed this.  It seems to be the basis for most executive's actions on Dilbert (but interestingly, not the pointy haired boss). 

What I do not understand is the need to pretend that bullies do not succeed.  Generally speaking, they do quite well.  Being willing to take actions that hurt others for your own gain is very effective in most social structures, and business is no different.  Sure, there are caveats to bullying your coworkers and employees, but there are caveats to behaving altruistically as well.

Certainly, this fact does not make bully tactics acceptable for those under Christ.  My main hope is that we can be honest and acknowledge that bullies do not always get their just deserts in this lifetime.  Some of what kids learn in school is that manipulating the system for your own gain at others' expense often works.