How Rage-baiting is Ruining Team Morale

The other day, my 18-year-old son introduced me to a new phrase – rage baiting.  

Have you heard of it? 

Rage baiting is when you say or do something that will intentionally provoke someone. 

Let me share a harmless example with you. My son absolutely hates eggs and avocados. 

So, this morning, I couldn’t help myself. I said, “Hey, want some breakfast? I can whip up some delicious toast with scrambled eggs and avocado just for you!” 

You should have seen the look he gave me! His eyeballs rolled so far back in his eye sockets that  I wasn’t sure if they were coming back down! Then came the groan.

Meanwhile, I was laughing so hard I nearly fell off my chair! It was a moment of harmless teasing between us. 

But here’s the thing. Rage baiting isn’t always harmless.

In fact, I’m seeing it show up in organizations in ways that are far from funny.

It’s causing real damage.

Here is a recent example that I can share with you.

One of my clients, a Senior Vice President, has been with his organization for over 10 years. He is loyal, committed, and genuinely cares about his work.
Recently, his CEO, an aggressive, results-focused leader, decided to shake things up.

What was the “shake-up”?

Well, my client was demoted. He was moved to a different department. He lost his SVP title. Now, he is a VP.

There was very little conversation and no explanation. He just received a new title and a completely different role.

Now, organizational change is normal and expected. But how do you think that move landed with someone who’s invested a decade into this company?

To say he was enraged is putting it mildly. He also felt blindsided and totally unappreciated! 

While he says, “Titles don’t matter,” to many people they do. Titles can represent pride, recognition, and influence.

He didn’t just lose a title, he also lost a team he cared about and a sphere of impact he had worked hard to build.

This kind of rage-baiting isn’t funny. It’s demoralizing and it hurts people.

So, leaders, before you make decisions that impact people’s roles, titles or teams, ask yourself a few key questions:

• How will this decision impact the other person? 
• What might their perspective be? 
• While change may be necessary, how demotivating will this change be to the impacted parties? 
• Is there a way to balance business needs with empathy and respect? 

Rage baiting might get a laugh at the breakfast table… but in the workplace, it’s no joke!