Energy Vampires

We all have those students, parents or people who we avoid if we see them coming. We avoid them because we know as soon as they see us we will be in a 30 minute conversation full of their drama, bitterness and emotions. We know after the 30 minutes all we will be good for is falling asleep at our desk because they have just sucked the life out of us. Old school pastors call these people EGR (Extra Grace Required) people.

Over at Dumb Little Man they have a great article on how to protect yourself from “Energy Vampires” I like the way they put it because these kind of people “feed” off of everyone they come into contact with, they don’t really care if you care or listen, they just need to bring someone down with them to feel better instead of dealing with their issues.

My favorite excerpt:

5. Don’t give them too much time. When a Vampire walks into my office I stand as if I’m about to go somewhere. I’ll give them a few minutes and if I feel we’re heading down the same old path, I’ll start walking and shut the conversation down.

click here for the rest of the article…

March 19, 2008 | Filed Under Leadership