Hi,

(Not sure whether to put this here, the LGAT thread or yet elsewhere.)


Has anybody heard of the above mentioned employers and potential links to Landmark, Byron Katie and the likes?

It seems from a large number of online posts and my own experiences that they have been using extremely unethical methods on a large, systematic scale over years already and all around the globe! Focus: unemployed recent college grads, journalist-media backgrounds, highly skilled people. Their wages are very low, around 1,000 $ – no surprise that works during the crisis and adds vulnerability to the scheme. Another major danger lies in the transitional stage that all targets are in due to their job search context.

Strong match on most of the Singer criteria. Motive remains unclear. But it happens on a LARGE scale. So far we retrieved about 600 online statements of former employees in discussion threads (list below).

Some of their unethical methods: highly confrontational and berating to break you down systematically in front of and with the group, highly concerted effort, peer pressure, emotionally abusive, try to drive you into inner conflicts, some seek to seduce you to participate in criminal behavior, harassment, elicit any values, needs, wants, fears, weaknesses, vulnerable points to build a psychological case and then try to use that information massively against you. After a while one gets the impression that most conversations on- and offsite are highly scripted and engineered towards the above mentioned goals. Company behavior is utterly bizarre, surreal, doesn’t make sense economically with what they pretend to do (event production, so-called sales of “summits”, flexible metaphor? pyramid schemes? other?). There’s clearly a hidden agenda. Comes across like multi-level marketing but it lacks the upfront payment of the pyramid schemes. However, they are massively advertising for new recruits to fill a steady pipeline as people are laid off constantly. One only realizes after a bit that it is all a coordinated group effort for SURE. Systematic bullying from the first to the last day interspersed with seemingly normal periods. It could be mistaken for individual assaults from target’s perspective but online research shows that it is systematically the same for hundreds of people, from different competitors, in different international locations.

For some groups also indications that they went through employees’ belongings including private electronic data means. There’s even one post in one of the Marcus Evans threads stating one of the head honchos secretly spies on employees pc screens. Other posts quote personal theft. Extremely high on manipulative behavior (slick, smooth talkers, waking hypnosis, NLP, dark patterns / black ops, indirect methods, very gradual, bait and switch, very high on covert-aggressive / two-faced personalities, not clear whether malignant narcissism / psychopathy, very high on gaslighting, some entries mention sexually offensive behavior as well). Many IT security alerts regarding their own websites (e.g. frequent google alert lines “site could harm your computer” and Firefox warnings when accessing Marcus Evans sites). Probably quite some fake websites when you run searches on them with certain key words. It appears that “Marcus Evans” has created their own “scam”, “fraud”, “crime” pages mid 2009 by pretending (? cf. Ripoff Reports) to run courses on such issues just to hide google results on large numbers of complaints further down in the google rankings.

[www.ripoffreport.com]

[www.ripoffreport.com]

Question is: why are they throwing that much money and energy at hundreds of people in the industry over years with such bizarre, surreal practices? What is the purpose? At first one ponders the option of some hidden training aspect. But: they NEVER inquire about your medical history at any stage, don’t ever inform you about what dubious, confrontational methods they are about to put you through. So, in our opinion it’s clearly uninformed consent. Moreover, it’s the same old abusive approaches:

(1)…tell you what to think and how to behave and which situations you have to get through to be a “proper”, experienced business person.
(2)…appear to believe they’re berating you in your “best interest”, know better what’s “good” for you, try to teach you a “lesson” (without telling you or checking whether you’re at all interested in this or are in an emotional / physical state to cope with it).
(3)…regress you to a retarded kid’s perspective by withholding information, belittling, talking of you in the third person, pretending they’re your parent or describing your presumed experiences while saying they’re talking about their children.
(4)…reinvent their histories through fake storytelling.
(5)…try to test and make you lose your self-respect through various means (turning you against yourself by leading you down the rabbit hole).

Same old, same old…

They then either fire you (obviously for fun, many threads quote this) or drive you into quitting. Extremely high turnover, many quit right in the first couple of days.

Most of the companies are about cold calling and high pressure sales in contexts where those ruthless methods don’t make any sense anyhow (high-level CEO conferences). Please note: from what I experienced and can NOW (before/after!!) understand better from other posts: at the meta-level these jobs are NOT about sales although they heavily pretend to. Many (most?) conferences seemingly don’t even take place!

Key personnel initially appear to be friendly but then frequently turn into untouchable arrogant people, two-faced, disloyal pressuring behavior, very much like those pressure movies (Boiler Room, Wall Street, Glengarry Glen Ross, Training Day – the threads mention a few). At least five companies are using almost the exact same approach. They are initially friendly but then shift to harsh abusive behavior in a matter of days or weeks. Wonder how many people get depressed, hospitalized, traumatized, or worse. Within the working environment many planted people cheering on, very few seemingly refusing the baits. In my case it seemed most of the group is part of the game, bait and switch, typically followed by exclusion/isolation strategy once you unveil their activities, even from previously friendly people.

Does anybody have any experiences with them who also knows the cult context? Some of the threads quote “cult-like” (e.g. Meltwater) but more as a general term. Unfortunately, still too few know Margaret Singer’s criteria, shame! Everybody’s got to read her book “Cults in our Midst”…! It should become part of school education. Some discussion boards linking to them also sport Byron Katie trained tricksters in the disguise of bullying “help”.

Some links to the discussion boards: Posts appear to be paradox marketing at first sight as they sound extreme and are interspersed with planted "apologists" (those who don't make it or post online just aren't "tough enough". However, when you indeed work there it soon turns into being seriously soul destroying. Please note: These companies position as competitors but in the end they’re all using a VERY similar scam approach, scripts and employee abuses. Due to this massive occurrence and also because of their totally absurd approach I wondered whether it was a hoax at some stage but they massively try to undermine your defences, seriously try to break you down emotionally and it is completely uninformed consent and could do MAJOR harm!

IQPC:
UK, USA: [www.jobvent.com] (19pages!!!)
EUROPE - Germany: [www.wiwi-treff.de]

Marcus Evans:
USA: [www.ripoffreport.com] (link overview referring to many additional posts)
USA: [www.ripoffreport.com]
USA: [www.ripoffreport.com]
USA: [www.complaintsboard.com]
ASIA: [company.asiasalary.com]
ASIA: [forum.lowyat.net]
ASIA: [www.complaintsboard.com]
INTERNATIONAL: [www.glassdoor.com]
USA: [www.jobvent.com]

They also appear to have engaged in fraud soccer worldcup tickets 1998 (then under the old name ICM – International Championship Management, today they run a “hospitality“ group):

UK: [www.mondaq.com]
UK: [www.lg-legal.com]
Germany: [www.focus.de]
UK: [www.christianaid.org.uk] (old problem of uncertain ownership of European soccer clubs through offshore companies, small entry)

Interestingly, there seems to have been a Florida fraudster named “Marcus Evans” engaging in identity theft who presumably runs business straight out of prison. No idea whether any of this is related. The “real” Marcus Evans seems to not make appearances in public (see Wikipedia) so could be a placeholder name.

USA: [articles.orlandosentinel.com]

IBDG a.k.a. Strategy Insights International (looks like they operate two entities):
EUROPE - UK: [www.daniweb.com]

Meltwater News:
EUROPE - Norway: [antimeltwater.blogspot.com]
EUROPE – Norway: [antimeltwater.blogspot.com]

Cobra Group (Referral from Meltwater) (this one appears to be a “real” pyramid scheme):
INTERNAITONAL - [www.scam.com]

Could be that some of their names are acronyms (IQ- PC but unsure if this stands for PC or political correctness, IBDG – I’ll be digi?, Marcus Evans is often quoted as ME – the ego aspect?). All of these could be metaphors for seemingly benign influence in disguise. HOWEVER, this leads us back to: hidden agendas, unwanted influence, uninformed consent, berating, attempts to break people down systematically, yadda, yadda, yadda… Hence, benign influence seems unlikely. Also, I haven’t found any indications that employees get any clarification of why they have been put through this.

Maybe a number of people could apply for them undercover or even spam them with fake applications to clog up their pipeline... lol

In case you are a current employee or consider employment for monetary reasons (understandable in these tough times), please be sure to read into this research first. Be prepared, know your vulnerabilities and needs to withstand their manipulations and bait, seek qualified help, check all – ALL – their legal information, particularly contract clauses, fake monetary deals they offer, company registrations, legal declarations on company documents or online means, personal background of officers, and make sure you document EVERY SINGLE transgression in writing, try to get witnesses. If they won’t let you do this by email (many (pretend to?) lack basic equipment such as computers), then by all means use letters, signed-off by your bosses or by registered mail. Ensure proper and officially recognized DOCUMENTATION with dates at really every single stage of the process, including the documentation of your achievements!

And be clear about this to yourself: Even if they’re initially friendly or even seductive, they WILL try to break you down from some point onwards. Try * NOT * to disclose personal information. Plus, keep your personal stuff with you all the time. This is not meant to be paranoid but just common sense in that type of environment.

Steer clear and stay strong!

Fosters.
(Foster Strength of Character!)

Looks like some of the Rip-off Report links aren't working properly. Don't know why.

But there has been more recent scam info for the soccer worldcup 2010

2008: [www.timeslive.co.za]
2010: [www.irishtimes.com]
2010: [www.iol.co.za]

The following three analytical frameworks are an attempt at paraphrasing the essence of Margaret Singer’s “Cults in our Midst” analysis frameworks:



Singer’s 6 criteria

1. Keep person unaware of the goal to control and change them (very small steps to keep subject unaware of change, goals, coordinated psychological and sociological mechanisms aimed at changing their thinking and behavior. Amplify through peer pressure and allegedly “exemplary” behavior of “role models”. Subjects are guided through a number of experiences that superficially seem to make sense, meet their needs and values while at the meta-level the key goal is to break their will, make them obey and give up their autonomy, relationships and belief system. Such a hidden duplicitous strategy leads to a process of “uninformed consent” where subjects seem to agree with something they have not been properly informed about, especially not about the negative results for them like exploitation, humiliation and the attempt at changing their personality).

2. Control their time and environment (contacts, information) (e.g. overload them, make the group their lives’ only content)

3. Create a feeling of helplessness, fear and dependence (make them dependent on the group, its mechanisms, distance them from their thinking and normal environment, increase their helplessness and thus destabilize their world view, feed your own world view that the group pronounces with one voice, repeat it over and over, attack subjects for different views if they don’t adhere, don’t accept opposition, undermine their grounding in reality and self-confidence, make them doubt, disorient and exhaust them to further increase their suggestibility)

4. Suppress their regular behavior and attitudes (create a system of rewards and punishment to guide their experiences and suppress their former identity, mark it as evil and irrelevant, make them avoid critique and humiliation by obeying to rules, control internal group relationships, divide and conquer, feed desired behavior)

5. Initiate new behavior and attitudes (seek to achieve complete internalization of new system of belief e.g. by repetitions, complex doctrine, own lingo, underhanded influence, guided visualization, classic teaching patterns, attack their emotions so that they believe they have come up with the emotion and thus the related solution themselves, which increases internalization of system).

6. Create a system of closed logic (hinder understanding of real context and underlying reasoning, critique is not allowed and redirects the guilt away from the true attacker towards blaming the victim. Refuse opposition or voicing of doubts, concerns or questions, unwanted behavior is met with isolation, loss of privileges, withdrawal of approval, fear, shaming, guilt-tripping, creation of doubt, helplessness and further disorientation. Create new buzz words for manipulative, unethical behavior such as lies and fraudulent business practices to cheat awareness away from what’s really happening, shut down conscience, and the subject’s real belief system).


Lifton’s 8 criteria

1. Control environment (keep subjects from voicing their doubts or concerns, suppress negative feedback loops)

2. Manipulate language (limit subjects’ thought process to eliminate critical thinking, pressure to switch to group lingo forces subjects to self-censor their thoughts and wording and slows down spontaneous voicing of critique or opposition. Leads them to suppress, deny or at least keep quiet about negative or contradictory feelings.

3. Claim for purity (judgemental black and white painting of the enemy or competition, requires of subjects to solely think in terms of one singularly correct version of thinking. Others or external environment is constantly badmouthed, group thus seeks to create shaming and guilt-tripping for thinking differently.

4. Habitual confessions and invasive questioning (use this information against subjects to shame, frighten them and make them feel helpless to look for leader for orientation. Weaken psychological learning mechanism).

5. “Mystical” manipulation (hidden agenda, hide the fact that it is all a coordinated group effort to make subjects feel that their experiences arose spontaneously from seemingly innocent group interactions, while in reality group members display desired behavior they seek to teach new recruits, in this context “free will” is only an illusion as all interactions and outcomes are planned and guided.)

6. Doctrine over people (reframing / reinterpretation of subjects experience, they are encouraged to abandon their own perceptions, reality and concerns and to just follow the group perspective as in “just do it!”)

7. Sacred science (like the emperor the leader gets new scientific clothes to bestow credibility and authority upon them)

8. Granting or denying right of existence (totalitarian environments convey to their members that they are part of an elitist group, all others inferior. This dehumanization and depersonalization gives way to manipulate members for the use of the group. Those who leave the group face complete exclusion and isolation)


Schein’s 3 states

1.UNFREEZE / BREAK. Destabilize, disorient, create identity crisis, tell subjects their old lives or views were worthless, create doubt about right and wrong and about how to behave and to decide. Undermine self-esteem and self-concept to increase their suggestibility for manipulations and their group dependence as they increasingly look for orientation for “correct thinking and behavior”. Reduces their objection to new ideas but massively increases fear and insecurity. Many groups foster this fear by means of critique, berating, undermining and demeaning subjects to break down how they view themselves.

2. CHANGE. Convey that group’s solutions are feasible way to reduce fear, uncertainty and self-doubt. New recruits start copying experienced members. Stick to promises once given in public (exploitation of sociological consistency mechanism), so if subjects publicly state something they will feel internally pressured to be or do just that otherwise it creates an uncomfortable feeling of dissonance and not living up to one’s word (although in the entire context meaningful psychological and sociological processes and reflexes are simply exploited – and so are the subjects). Peer pressure is highly important: what you promise to do you do, when you do it you start thinking accordingly, when your environment is secretly structured around a hidden agenda and a concerted group effort without your knowing it you will believe YOU yourself came to the conclusion (although they were pulling your strings and force-fed you secretly). When a person draws their own conclusion they are much more likely to internalize the resulting behavior or way of thinking which in turn will last much longer than through openly displayed pressure which would have to overcome objections and differing beliefs.

3. FREEZE. Reinforce desired behavior through praise and other sorts of reward and approval. Conversely, heavy disapproval, rejection, exclusion and isolation is for those who don’t obey to the doctrine. Most coercive programming groups of today seek to produce smiling, submissive and hard working people who don’t complain about the bad practices of the group or the unlimited authority of their guru, trainer or leader. They are broken to think about the world from the view of the group.

Additional very helpful reading:
Rick Ross – 10 Warning Signs of Unsafe Leaders & Groups
[www.culteducation.com]

“ Potentially unsafe groups or leaders "come off very nice at first, they go for vulnerable people who are looking for answers, lonely, what you'd call 'normal people.' They're very good at what they do and can get people to believe anything. You might think you'd never get taken in, but don't bet on it. " -- Margaret Singer, Ph.D.



By Rick Ross, Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.


Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
2. Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused--as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
3. Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as "persecution".
4. Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.
5. Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
6. Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.
7. A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.
8. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
9. Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
10. Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.


Ten signs of a safe group/leader.

1. A safe group/leader will answer your questions without becoming judgmental and punitive.
2. A safe group/leader will disclose information such as finances and often offer an independently audited financial statement regarding budget and expenses. Safe groups and leaders will tell you more than you want to know.
3. A safe group/leader is often democratic, sharing decision making and encouraging accountability and oversight.
4. A safe group/leader may have disgruntled former followers, but will not vilify, excommunicate and forbid others from associating with them.
5. A safe group/leader will not have a paper trail of overwhelmingly negative records, books, articles and statements about them.
6. A safe group/leader will encourage family communication, community interaction and existing friendships and not feel threatened.
7. A safe group/leader will recognize reasonable boundaries and limitations when dealing with others.
8. A safe group/leader will encourage critical thinking, individual autonomy and feelings of self-esteem.
9. A safe group/leader will admit failings and mistakes and accept constructive criticism and advice.
10. A safe group/leader will not be the only source of knowledge and learning excluding everyone else, but value dialogue and the free exchange of ideas.


Don't be naïve, develop a good BS Detector.

You can protect yourself from unsafe groups and leaders by developing a good BS detector. Check things out, know the facts and examine the evidence. A safe group will be patient with your decision making process. If a group or leader grows angry and anxious just because you want to make an informed and careful decision before joining; beware.”


Copyright © Rick Ross, The Ross Institute

Thanks for supplying this extremely helpful info, Mr. Ross!

A party acting in your best interest won’t…

* intentionally abuse your trust
* act against your free will
* build a house of lies and mirrors where truly every single “fact” or bit of interaction is a lie, a warped truth to bend you to their will
* refuse to explain what’s going on or refuse to take responsibility in a timely manner
* deliberately risk messing with your health or well-being
* take something away from you just to return you a regurgitated and probably harmful version while claiming it was theirs to begin with. And btw – you would have never come up with that solution without them… (think Pygmalion)
* repeatedly lie, cheat, steal, try to intimidate, humiliate or confuse you for months on end
* try to undermine and break your free will while trying to pass it off as your own decisions
* try to break down your natural defenses in a hidden, devious way
* try to undermine your world view, dignity, values or self-esteem
* try to trick you by playing extensive head games to take advantage of you
* refuse to give you what is yours or should be so rightfully
* persistently ignore your clearly set boundaries
* try to guilt trip you, shame you
* try their piti-play on you, turning it around against you whenever you confront them (blaming the victim) or even stage themselves as the victim (playing the victim)
* persistently try to deal with you in hidden, indirect ways (which basically equals manipulation and in effect has a clearly negative connotation no matter how many fools try to convince you otherwise)

Actually, dealing with people in indirect ways is one of the top identifiers for manipulators. Friends or well meaning individuals will deal with you directly, generally speaking. Manipulators, however, prefer indirect ways to…

* hide from others’ sight (come across as uninvolved, not the cause)
* fly under your radar
* let you draw and internalize the conclusions
* make it look like you’re acting on your own free will (maybe even to yourself when pitching via your emotions)
* buy time
* pique your curiosity
* lead you on
* try influence methods and fine-tune them to you, use invisible strings
* confuse, cause doubts and self-doubts
* betray themselves (some of them, but from my experience many are fully aware of their messy ways)

Trust your gut instincts.
And feel free to add.

And a quote from Steven Hassan on his BITE analysis model:

Quote
Steven Hassan
My mind control model outlines many key elements that need to be controlled: Behavior, Information, Thoughts and Emotions (BITE). If these four components can be controlled, then an individual's identity can be systematically manipulated and changed. Destructive mind control takes the 'locus of control' away from an individual. The person is systematically deceived about the beliefs and practices of the person (or group) and manipulated throughout the recruitment process — unable to make informed choices and exert independent judgment. The person's identity is profoundly influenced through a set of social influence techniques and a "new identity" is created — programmed to be dependent on the leader or group ideology. The person can't think for him or herself, but believes otherwise.

Particularly the uninformed consent and built-in learned helplessness are interesting I think.


(sourced from Wikipedia, but from his Freedom of mind website and maybe also part of one of his books.)

Hi,

You did not mention which group you were with. I worked for one of them awhile back and i don't like them either. I am from an internaiotonal location and my experiences may be a bit different.

They engage in manipulation and corruptive practices as well as an organised form of psychological abuse from interview to end. I'm glad i found this board and cannot say that i'm surprised. Their company details are likewise incorrect. The company doesn't care at all. They seemed completely detached from reality, self-proclaimed know-it-alls with no substance but a whole lotta double standards. While it seems kinda normal in the beginning they have a set of preconceived ideas, they steer you into that direction to prove you wrong. I agree they also seemed to have preconceived ideas about how a person should be like. I don't mean standard values that ensure properly living together as a functioning society or group. It was more of an ideological thing that really estranged me in the stereotypical ways they behaved. They push a deranged sort of worldview on you, the new employee, forcing you to go through experiences that are full on wrong, in a fully uninvited manner. Nobody in their right minds would choose any of their behavior. And no, none of it could seriously help you to become a "better business person", I agree with you. These people are just seriously sick control freaks that try to play mind games. They are also reframing words such as "integrity" and "manipulation" and turn them into meaning the exact opposite. That way boundaries between right and wrong become disgustingly blurred and they twist any story whichever way they like. They also overstep boundaries constantly.

Tehy claim to be working with the top listed companies around the world. But seriously, I'd pee and vomit on any company working with such debilitated methods. Someone must have checked out their brains ath the company doors and missed out on getting a soul when those were available...

Whatever might have been unique about them at some point intime they have long since lost when buying into the stupidity of this manipulative substandard "in-crowd". From what I gather from those other posts on those boards they've been rotting in that behavioural slime forever.

When push comes to shove, I couldn't find a straight-forward soul in da house, just great pretenders. Cut out characters from a paper-back comic that was a cross between Dilbert, Mel Brooks, Benny Hill and desolate cult life. Truly bizarre and in the end disappointingly spiteful and destructive. Just really a superfluous experience.

When you'd first meet my boss he seemed a handsome family man, caring and supportive. However, you soon realized that he is all make-believe, foul play and foul stench. Hold your noses when you come into this company. There is an emotional hollowness and decay that is hard to believe when you're a fully grown-up human being. This man thrives on observing others, mimic them to get close - just to show his ugly real face when trying to destroy them soon after. There seems to be a void inside him larger than the Grand Canyon but superficially there is charisma. It appears he doesn't really exist but needs others' vivacity to live through them. Narcissistic? Yes, I'd say so, big time. Disgusting when one experiences it. But in essence truly just a pitiful real-life vampire and rather a sob story. And his colleagues are somewhat of the same flock. a blob of nothingness mixed with make-believe third-rate acting skills.

They neither have the right nor the capabilities to teach other people ANYTHING but they're full of entitlement and self-righteousness.

How can people so full of themselves at the same time be so empty????

A ship of fools.

You mentioned berating and confrontational. I can attest to that. While I don't know much about LGETs Ilooked up the behavioural structure and 'attack therapy' comes pretty close in my opinion. Find out what they believe to be your buttons, corner you, humiliate you after they tried to come as close as possible. (Wikipedia)

but of course none of it was legal given the constant uninvited transgressions. Just really a deletable bunch of sickos!

I did not fully understand what you meant by Pygmalion in that context. Did they also hit on you as part of the love bombs?

I took time now to try the frameworks and information you give. Thanks for that.

- Lack of clarity about their real purpose, hidden objective, all encompassing vagueness, genralities, platitueds
- Interview sales pitch is 100 % make-blieve: we've got all you need, then totally lie regarding salary, commission, everything
- Deceitfulness and manipulation from the start
- Cold-blooded, calculating, cynical, arrogant - the rest only for show, putting on a smiling face but fake
- Love bombing (strategic giving and withdrawing of attention and support, unsuitable advances)
- Intensive mirroring and impression making (like an impersonator, very irritating), strong pacing and leading. Gradually this mirroring is distorted to feed you negative self-image and wrong directions, disturbingly destructive
- Beyond normal peer pressure, cloning the leaders and their dubious practices. Tunnel vision.
- Critical thinking persistently ignored, dismissed or diverted. Tried to turn your word around, intentionally misinterpret your remarks or recommendations
- Difficult to form an accurate informed opinion about group and leaders. Tried to gradually withdraw reality, rational explanations, reasonable, respectfull interactions
- Presumptuous, invasive communication from their part, persistently ignore clearly set boundaries and respected forms of interaction
- Empty sales proposition but constant over-promising and lying. Training in manipulative sales practices, increasingly push for illegal actions and bad business practices
- Talk is cheap with lack of hard facts, trustworthy customer references but instead slick egos and pressure posing
- Urgency and all other standard influencing used intensively (this did not feel like marketing but coercive, this strong, don't know how else to put it)
- Used many methods at the same time to confuse I thought
- Trainers with doubtful qualifications and intenstions: declared combination of educational background and attitudes makes them look like crooks without the long patience to sit through recognized coursework
- Disconcerting elitist self-concept not grounded in reality but mere 'fluff'. Racist, sexist, verbally dismissive of diversity. Some of the guys seriously need a heap of ice cubes in their pants
- Blaming the victim: leaders, trainers or system never at fault but always the employee. Blaming those who seek to act with quality, customer wishes, integrated thinking, respect for self, integrity. Also not to those who are not subscribing to their limited approaches and attitudes (touted superior and unfailing...). Results in attacks, belittling and ridiculing that someone is "just afraid" and all their resistance rooted in fear (no, just common sense). Whenever you doubt or successes won't materialise, they will claim YOU are the one to blame, just because YOU don't work / try / believe hard enough...
- Paranoid behaviour, massively seek to instill the same in employees
- Ready made 'road blocks': smooth talkers seek to dismiss, divert and turn into doubts whatever arguments you bring up (thought stopping)
- Arrogant dominators: "We've got all you need" becomes "We've got the total truth, stop thinking... like... NOW!"
- Unmoved by significant health risks inherent in their intentionally manipulative, self-righteous, unrequested, destructive, undermining methods without agreed consent
- Create dependence: literally make you beg for standard / smallish items to test your gullibility and their power. Step by step they seek to abuse that installed mechnism to refuse you bigger things that you are likewise professionally, interpersonally or legally entitled to like a respectful, non-threatening, non-racist, non-sexist environment, a reference, salary, commission, an explanation of their destructive behaviour, company details, or whatever
- Agree, they try to pitiplay, pose as the victim and vilify the victim.
- Double binds (contradictory information, orders, behavior, never walk the talk)