Written by: Vickie Sullivan | September 29, 2022
How to Call Out Bad Behavior When You See It
Sometimes you want to call out bad behavior but doing so without becoming negative yourself is tricky. Joyce Gioia does it expertly in a column published by The Herman Group.
In the article, she calls out employers’ practice of “de-leveling,” which is hiring people (mostly young people and minorities) into levels below their ability and pay grade.
2 Strategies for Calling Out Bad Behavior
Let’s move past those employers’ shocking behavior and look at how Gioia calls out bad behavior without sensational grandstanding. In particular, she uses two strategies you can use, too:
• Resist the rant. It would be extremely tempting to rant about the evils of de-leveling. Instead, the Gioia positions this content as a reverse business case for a bad idea. Using the “let’s not do this” angle takes the emotion out by focusing on the disadvantages to the perpetrators. How you can apply the strategy: Focus on the downsides and gather any stats. You should also watch your language, as judgmental verbiage can be dismissed as hyperbole.
Listen: How Ranting About Something Can Hurt Your Brand
• Let the specifics be outrageous. Gioia’s clear definition of de-leveling and the double standard around who gets de-leveled packs enough punch. Using specifics instead of ranting on the overall unfairness maintains a credible yet pointed stance. How you can apply the strategy: Focus on what’s not being discussed (in this case, the double standard) and go there. Back up facts with statistics (or in Gioia’s case, lawsuits).
A lot of us call out bad behavior in our content marketing. We could all learn from Gioia on how to do it strategically. Her calm and reasoned approach not only educates the victims, but it also puts the offenders on notice.
Now Read This:
- How to Bring Up Confrontational Observations
- Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road