We often talk about childhood bullying — the teasing, the exclusion, the intimidation.
But what many don’t talk about enough is how that bullying doesn’t always end at the school gate.
It just puts on a tie, walks into boardrooms, and hides behind fancy job titles.
In some workplaces, the bully now has a nameplate.
They smile in front of HR.
They sit on interview panels.
They write performance reviews.
They make you feel like your best is “too much.”
They use silence as a weapon.
They stretch probation periods without reason.
They chip away at your confidence — because your light threatens the shadow they hide in.
Adult bullies don’t always shout.
Sometimes they whisper to the CEO,
“She’s too ambitious.”
“Watch out for him, he’s very smart.”
“She thinks she knows too much.”
“He’ll outgrow us.”
I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it.
I once sat across a panel that smiled at me and told me I did “exceptionally well.”
Later, I found out I didn’t get the job because someone in that same room told the CEO I was too strong — that I’d eventually “take over.”
That wasn’t a compliment.
It was fear, masked as concern.
Insecurity dressed in authority.
Let’s be honest — some people are only secure as long as no one challenges their mediocrity.
The moment you show potential, they panic.
And instead of rising higher, they try to clip your wings.
But let me say this clearly:
✨ Your brilliance is not the problem.
✨ Their fear is not your fault.
✨ Your confidence is not arrogance.
✨ You don’t have to shrink to survive.
Let’s build cultures where strength is celebrated — not sabotaged.
Let’s choose leaders who lift, not those who bruise from behind closed doors.
And if you’ve been bullied in the workplace — may healing find you, and may you walk into rooms where your light is not feared, but welcomed.
#WorkplaceWellness #LeadershipMatters #AdultBullies
#ToxicWorkCulture #RealTalk #NicoleMararaWrites