Avoid Chucking Chanclas at Work

Recently, I had a conversation with a thought partner about a boss she had who would yell and insult employees at work. This boss would single people out and make them feel small in front of everyone who happened to be present at the time. Feelings were never spared. Many of us have seen it, and some of us have even demonstrated this unfortunate behavior. The conversation quickly turned to her grandmother, who was quick to throw her shoes when she got angry. I got a good laugh because my mother (and don’t tell her I told you this) would throw anything in her arms reach when we crossed a line; she did not stop at shoes. Over the course of the conversation, recalling our experiences and past conversations with friends, it became clear that this was an experience many people could relate to. It wasn’t funny at the time but now, we could laugh about it. Throwing shoes, or chucking chanclas, is how I describe a boss openly criticizing individuals in person or behind their back with the purpose of diminishing them. Some leaders see it as a strategy to motivate better behavior or performance, psychologists say that it is toxic conduct that destroys morale. I say it should be avoided at all costs.

We have all had feelings of frustration about the words, behavior, or performance of another person. If you are the leader, you also have the responsibility to respond to it. If you are not thoughtful about your response, you could be hurting yourself far more than you are motivating anyone else. Chucking chanclas takes many forms such as a tirade directed at an individual, hitting, insulting, ignoring, or demeaning someone in front of others. The leader may believe chucking chanclas will inspire a drive to never experience this feeling again so performance will improve. This usually backfires and diminishes the boss as people will view that leader as out of control, petty, or both. 

Causing people to ‘lose face’ at work may give your ego an adrenaline boost, but it is extremely harmful to staff morale, almost completely eliminating the drive to do more, innovate, speak up, or go the extra mile. One of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous quotes is this, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” What that means at work is, today its him, tomorrow it could be me. Causing people to lose face, has a negative impact on more than just the target of a tirade. Everyone is left on edge. That feeling of walking on eggshells will keep people more worried about the leader’s wrath than their work. Staying off of the radar, not making mistakes, outshining others, kicking people the boss put down, are all behaviors that result in a culture created by chucking chanclas at work. 

Let's be clear about one thing, if you’re the leader, their performance says something about you. If they are not up to your standard, it’s on the leader to raise their performance. If there is a member of the team who is unreliable and your only response is to belittle them in front of others, then you are a shitty boss. A good conductor would not allow a single horn to be off key, then criticize the player in front of the rest of the band or the audience. That horn makes everyone look bad, so a good conductor corrects that horn before the band takes the stage. Everyone looks good when each member is prepared and at their best. There is no way that conductor can have a squealing horn in the band and still look good as a conductor no matter what story that conductor tells other people. Moreover, chucking chanclas at the horn player will not inspire better performance, it just makes everyone uncomfortable. A good boss will own the entire performance and make it his or her mission to strengthen weaker members of the band. If a difficult conversation needs to be had, it should be done with discretion, giving them a face saving out. The employee knows what is expected of them, and knows that they are not meeting the leader’s expectation, and is given options and support. No other culture demonstrates the importance of face saving like Japan. In Japanese culture to save face (mentsu wo tamotsu) is a strong motivator for both employees and leaders. Both have a desire to save face so the leader does not chuck chanclas in public, and the employees want to meet the leader’s expectation; one supports the other. 

Cucking Chanclas also demonstrates a loss of self control. A quality that does not inspire people to be their best. At best, it makes people around the leader defensive. Defensive cultures lead to self preserving behaviors such as blaming, undermining, backstabbing, and victimization of self or others. In Eastern cultures such as China and Japan, to insult someone in public, or to embarrass them, would cause them to ‘lose face’, and is a sign of disrespect and is avoided at all costs because both people pay a price for the loss of face. As a result, in the East, the focus is on ‘giving face’, or agreeing in public, disagreeing privately. Western cultures don’t have nearly the emphasis on face as the East. In America the focus is on how one is viewed by others, in Japan the focus is on how one treats others. In the East, tough conversations are still had, and people still don’t get their way all the time but chanclas are never chucked in public. 

In August 1983, Eddie Murphy in his standup, Delirious, talked about his mother throwing shoes. Most of his performance that day can’t be whispered politely in mixed company but part of it goes like this, “And God forbid my mother would be dressed up and have them high heel shoes on, them pumps, because then she gets boomerang action going on your ass.” I was 10 when Eddie Murphy released this HBO special. In the past week, I’ve had two different conversations with friends who referenced portions of Delirious. Both were hilarious almost 40 years later. Chucking chanclas should be limited to stories we tell about our childhood, or conversations about Eddie Murphy, not a behavior we exhibit at work. Remember this, the way you would feel if your boss chucked a chancla at you, is the way they feel when you chuck a chancla at them. Allow them to save face, correct them discreetly, give face publicly, and SOAR! 

William A. Brown

September 13, 2020

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/transforming-toxic-leaders/201209/toxic-leaders-publicly-humiliate-and-poison-employees

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-sexual-continuum/201101/injustice-anywhere-is-threat-justice-everywhere-martin-luther-king

https://talkaboutjapan.com/save-face-in-japanese-culture/#:~:text=Saving%2C%20losing%20and%20giving%20face%20in%20Japanese%20culture,most%20important%20concepts%20in%20understanding%20the%20Japanese%20Mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1axbA2FvWQU

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