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The 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse
Time to Read: 1 minute 1 second
The 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse
Is alive and well and may well be riding to a place not very far from where you are right now.
Yes, you thought there were only four, you thought they were just a story and above all you thought they were a myth. Well, they may well be a myth, or a Mrs, or a Mr – whatever they are, they are real – yes, there are indeed five –and the fifth is the most negative of them all.
So, how come they haven’t been identified, found, and hunted down? Because this 5th Horseman is hiding – in plain sight. Inside an organisation, pretending to be doing their job, when in fact their number one aim is to suck the energy, lifeblood and hope out of as many people as they can.
Indeed, this merchant of doom could even be sitting next to you right now, waiting to attack. As you read this you are probably forming an idea of who the horseman really is, behind that mask.
Yes, it’s the one you don’t ever want to ask: “did you have a nice weekend?”
That’s just silly – you know the answer.
It’s the one who will always point out what is going wrong, without ever suggesting an alternative.
And, above all, it’s the one who thrives on fear, problems and impending doom.
OK – having depressed myself describing his/her/it – here are…
Five Top Tips to Ward off the 5th Horseman – all based on one simple fact – they are such because they choose to be, there can be no other reason:
- Ask them in front of witnesses, their “opinion” about something that you know they know something about – remember they thrive on saying you ignore them.
- If they say “I don’t have an opinion” or say “I don’t” or equivalent to anything you ask, respond with “if you did know, what would you say?” It tricks the subconscious.
- One to one, mirror their negativity. In other words, who is having the worse day? who can slouch and complain the most? This is great fun, good for building rapport, and has been known to turn horsemen into rangers, lone or otherwise.
- Give them a standard to live up to, not down to – the moment they utter something that could even faintly be described as positive, leap on it – say to them, “I am asking you to do this because you always deliver.” It will be very hard for them not to, after that!
- They could be just screaming out to be listened to, valued and cared for. Ask them for their number one, most underused strength, idea or passion and make sure they get a chance to use it. Ask them the number one reason they come to work, and do more of what they say. And, treat them with unconditional “love” no matter how they are towards you.
And a 6th. If none of the above work, do not let this Horseman destroy your town. You are the sheriff, and it may well be time for a parting of company. You say a sincere good bye, an insincere “hope to see you again” and you watch them ride off into the sunset.
And you don’t even have to know which way leads to the sunset – for The 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse, every way leads to darkness.
Tell us down below – Have you met the 5th horseman?
Well, that was a cheery one.
Even though, with my love and best wishes
David
X
With massive thanks to the very antidote to negativity – Steven Davey of Veolia
I’ve known more than one 5th Horseman and many times it has been the chief himself.
They don’t support their people, just criticize.
Sorry, couldn’t be done in 1min and 1sec!
Hi Michael thank you – I think you have commented on this before and I will ensure “Time to Read” becomes a lot more realistic! David
One of the first Naked leader’s weeks I have read where I didn’t have a clue what was being said or what it was about!
It held my attention though, just trying to work out what it meant.
Hope that’s not being negative, just honest really, as I love NL.
Hi Sohail – Love your comment – enjoyed it and couldn’t understand a word of it!! sorry about that! It basically means that there are some people who are way beyond being just negative and make it their life’s mission to “destroy”. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. Search on Google “The 4 horseman of the apocalypse! Thanks Sohail David
Last weeks blog was fun because it had a reference to me, but it was a storey you’ve told before David. This week however, was extra interesting because it was —- original! Great fun too. (I love it when you come up with something new). PS: Not met any horsemen lately,… A few old codgers on donkey’s, but no horsemen.
Hi Alan great to hear from you – yes I loved last weeks as it gave me a chance to mention you again- as I do, all around the world. And yes, you are right its a story often told – sadly (!) not everyone reads nl week every week as you do! Thank you for liking this one Alan. David
Nothing to not understand, excellent post as ever.
i agree so interesting and refreshing!
Most of the NL week’s are interesting and really get you thinking.
Why not repeat the message anyway?
It’s a good one and deserves to be heard.
Oh I know “the ” fifth horseman and he is alive and well to me and obviously not so well in his eyes, its a Monday after all . When people describe him they use oh he comes the …non X manager or the anti X manager. Spookily everyone understanding these debilitating traits and talking about them is in self energising, as we all know we don’t want to be like this guy. In my experience hey usually have personal space issues too so i get right in there, in a appropriate way of course, and sometimes the defences go down. I guess its a change to everyone looking or running the other way !!