EVIL PEOPLE
HUDDLE UP……Let me tell y’all about a time I confronted EVIL in the workplace. It was a TRIP….
BACKGROUND:
During the beginning of my career for a notable insurance company, I was working Homeowners Property Damage claims (water losses, etc..). I was one of 5 folks under the supervision of a gentleman I will call Richard for the sakes of this narrative. Now Richard stood about 6’1”, pretty fit for a 50-something year old guy, ex-military, kind of rugged looking like a cowboy-western type, with slightly greying hair. Personality wise, Richard displayed some serious egregious mood swings, like he was experiencing a menstrual cycle. For Real! I mean, the unit members would daily discuss among themselves if he were in a good or bad mood. If he was in a bad mood- NO ONE DARED approached him to ask any questions or request authority to pay a claim. This went on for months at a time when he was just a flat-out BULLY; arrogantly standoffish and uncommunicative.
MANDYS BOOK ON EVIL:
I remember speaking to Mandy, an old friend of mine and a Property Damage trainer, on a claim. After asking for some pointers, we began discussing Richard and asked me how I felt working for him. I said that he was difficult and cantankerous. I mentioned that perhaps he must be going through a rough patch in his life. Mandy readily disagreed with me and said that she knew Richard and all his family extremely well. She believed whole-heartedly that Richard was JUST PLAIN EVIL. She informed me that all three of his adult children refuse to speak to him. “Evil?” I questioned Mandy in disbelief, “Really?... I mean, I guess we all can have an evil streak.” Again, Mandy adamantly disagreed and suggested that I read a book that she will bring in tomorrow on the subject of ‘Evil People’. Wow! Mandy, was a very easy-going person and not the type to judge folks…
THE BOOK:
The next day Mandy dropped off the book at my desk. It’s been so long ago; I forgot the Title of the book. It took me about a week to read the book thoroughly and I was stunned as to how it accurately described Richard! Without going into an in-depth philosophical discussion, the book basically outlined the following tendencies of Evil People: Egoism, a lack of empathy, excessive self-absorption, manipulativeness, moral disengagement, entitlement, and spitefulness. Afterwards, (like everyone else in my unit), I kept my distance and avoided as much interaction with Richard as possible…
THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK:
Well, all hell broke loose the day he left a yellow sticky in the middle of my desk. I came in from the field and read the note in bold letters “SEE ME!” I knew exactly what was in store for me with that note; that meant walking into his office and just getting REAMED OUT for whatever he thinks I did wrong… A few of my fellow co-workers saw the note on my desk, came by, and with a grim face WISHED ME LUCK. Everyone in the unit felt Richard’s ire after receiving their Yellow Sticky! All I could think of was “Dread, Mon- DREAD!” Maybe it was the angst of receiving the Yellow Sticky, maybe it was just a very long-hard afternoon, or maybe ENOUGH WAS JUST ENOUGH!
PREPARING TO CONFRONT EVIL:
…It was ON…I knew it…I prepared for this moment…and, I had a gameplan: So, I went to the bathroom, (far end stall), closed the door and said a silent prayer to the Most High. I PRAYED for protection and strength...GAME FACE on…Afterwards, I went back to my desk, grabbed the Yellow Sticky, and approached Richard’s office. He flippantly commanded that I come in and close the office door. (LOL…what a joke)…I could tell he couldn’t wait to DROP THE HAMMER on me! He was holding the physical file that I previously placed on his desk for authority, just like a hammer. He looked at it with distain, then FLUNG it across his desk! It slid across until it STRUCK my stomach! Prepared for any antics, I grabbed it & without hesitation FLUNG it back at him, which caught him off guard and it STRUCK his stomach!..Like I said, “It’s ON!”…
DIALOGUE WITH EVIL:
Me (with objection): “If you want to discuss something with me, tossing files at me is not the way to do it. Didn’t you ever take Management 101?”
Richard (Raising his voice loudly): “I want to know why you want to pay this claim?”
Me (matching the volume): “That’s fair enough since you’re my boss, but if you read my notes, I gave a detailed analysis on why this claim should be paid.”
Richard (appalled): “Don’t raise your voice.”
Me: “I’m just speaking to you like you speak to me; how does that feel?”
Richard (in a lowered voice): “I don’t like it.”
Me (purposefully lowering my voice): “I don’t like it either. But, if you can toss file, then I can toss it too. It’s called RESPECT, Richard, something you haven’t shown your unit in about 6 months.”
Richard (shocked): “This is insubordination.”
Me: “No…THIS- is the truth! Man, you have these people so afraid of you, they all ask each other what kind of mood you’re in before they come in and ask you a question.”
Richard (challenging): “No one’s ever told me that before. How come no one in the unit said anything?”
Me: “Because they’re scared, Richard…Look, I don’t know if YOU ARE a demon or just POSSESSED by one, so I’m going to speak directly to THE DEMON IN YOU.”
Richard (taken aback, then recovering): “We can take this up with the man in the corner!” (Referring to the claims office boss who had a big office in the corner)
Me (getting out of me seat and walking towards Richard’s office door): “Can’t wait! Do you think I’m just doing this out of impulse? Let me tell you something Pal- I have a whole notebook with dates and times, along with the unit’s corroboration of your horrific management style. Today- you might just get fired…LET’S DO THIS! (Opening the office door).
WHEN EVIL IS CONFONTED:
What happened next- was unbelievable and certainly NOT anticipated…Dude, literally and physically SANK about 12” in his chair!...Dude just SLUMPED DOWN…It was CRAZY! It was as if the WIND was taken OUT OF HIM and a whole DIFFERENT PERSONALITY overcame him! It was like an ENTITY- fled his body! I could not believe my eyes…
Richard (unexpectedly compliant): “You said you speak for the whole unit, well let’s talk about it…”
Me (still fired up): What’s to talk about, let’s go! Let’s get this resolved right now. I’ll call HR and we’ll meet at the head Claim Mgr’s office.”
Richard (eerily passive): “I’m willing to work things out with the unit and with you…can you please close the door?”
……The rest is history. WOW! Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!
P.S. Disingenuous or not, Richard DID A 180 ON ME, and listened to the units concerns from that point forward. He knew how he was acting out, and he wanted to save his job…But I knew in my heart-of-hearts that the demon in him fled the moment it was exposed! The demon (in him) knew- that I KNEW IT WAS THERE.
B.P.S. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.” Yes, there are Evil People- Mandy was spot-on. Let us all, TAKE HEED…From the Lookout Post