Every bully has a boss, an enemy, a worrisome adversary or all three.
A sense of insecurity will often cause a person to act like a bully. Disarm a bully by seeking the source of that insecurity.
The top executive of a large organization may appear all-powerful and invulnerable. This person is ultimately responsible to shareholders or partners, regulatory bodies, or organizational goals. He or she may be concerned about the actions and thoughts of colleagues, club members, neighbors, enemies, competitors and general public opinion. They are held responsible for statements in mission statements, in advertising promises, or by their public relations representative. Some bullies are even conscious of being perceived as fair to others. The internet is a good place to begin your investigation.
Some organizations propagate a culture of bullying. In such an organization, you can have a field day terrorizing and pitting one bully against the other while accomplishing your own objectives. People in these types of organizations behave like bullies because it is simply "the way to behave" in order to survive in that culture. Inside they are kind and caring. Your strategy is to find that "soft center" by acting assertively.
Why are these relationships important to the victim of a bully's actions? These are your leverage points and where you can find the soft underbelly for a counterattack.
Normally kind and benevolent people justify such tactics by allowing the hurt to deepen over an extended period of time or occasions. A justified counterattack can be delivered with firm, but gentle compassion.
Once I was obliged to fly a long distance on a well-known airline. The spacing between the seats caused so much pain in my legs that I resolved never to get on one of those airplanes again. Furthermore, I advised friends and colleagues to avoid that airline.
Not long after this event, the airline's television ads began running to announce the improved seat spacing. The ad copy implied they were superior in providing luxurious leg room. A fellow traveler confirmed my suspicion. They had simply reverted to normal spacing. Such an expensive ad campaign was a clue to their level of concern about the damage they had done to their image.
Since then, I refer to an organization's problem-solving ad copy. The copy gives you the keywords for gaining access to a senior executive, if not the CEO. The keywords give you leverage in reversing the harm suffered from the actions of an uncaring "bully."
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