- journeyswithann
The bullies never win
He lay there on the ground curled up as one after another, the four gang members repeatedly kicked him savagely.
They pulled him up, and punched him in the stomach and winded him. This was Alexander N. Andrews in a moment of painful despair, that gave him a life’s purpose. He had been set upon by a gang of bullies almost daily in his last 18 months of school. a particularly dark period that ultimately inspired his calling.
You see, in that moment, Alexander had an epiphany that rather than fighting back physically, he would set out to eradicate bullying wherever he went; this was his calling. From humble beginnings, he determined to have a successful career and use this past pain for good.
As he started working, he was disappointed to see bullying to be common in workplaces, only now it was verbal and behavioral not physical; yet painful and damaging.
As he progressed through organizations and was promoted to senior executive positions, he learnt that beyond bullying, people were hurting in other ways because of oppressive and toxic management, as well as micromanagement which suffocated their engagement and wellbeing.
Alexander became a champion of change and in his 30 years plus of leadership. he reversed the fortunes of departments and organizations as a result of a people first approach; with a zero-tolerance of bullying. Use of his strategies allowed for a near elimination of bullying, if implemented correctly.
Throughout his career, he mentored countless managers and aspiring leaders who have gone on to become successful leaders in their own right with this same approach; many of which suggested he should share his leadership advice more broadly.
It was his own personal journey and the positive results he has been able to achieve, in stark contrast to those of toxic managers, together with nudges from those he has mentored, which ultimately inspired him to write his book, ‘UNLIKE A BOSS Positive People Leadership Skills You Wish Your Manager Had’.
The book has been embraced by managers, aspiring leaders, and business owners the world over. Leadership coaches in the UK routinely recommend it to their clients, and Wilmington University in the US is referencing it in their Fall and Spring Graduate and Undergraduate courses on Leadership and Human Resources.
The school bullies called him worthless. A senior manager early in his career suggested he was deluded for thinking he would have a successful career without university qualifications.
They were wrong. Alexander unashamedly leads from his heart.