In the gym, she berated her class "FIVE YEAR OLDS WORK HARDER THAN YOU." She consistently re-iterated to anyone within earshot how hard they were working, "This is tough, people, really tough." Unlike other instructors who would open the windows and doors to provide ventilation - she would not. The temperature in the workout room was 18 degrees hotter than hell.
Truth is - her class wasn't tougher than any other - but she created the illusion that it was - and people bought into it. While her participants weren't working harder or making more fitness gains in her class than in any other, she created the illusion they were.
The dishonesty, while it may be amusing, is galling. . .
And I have seen people do this at work: the creation or maintenance of undesirable working conditions. Sometimes it is done to convince the team how hard they are working - other times it's to convince others (and win the sympathy vote) of how difficult this all is. And it is dishonest.
The creation of a falsehood to convince people that what they are doing really is very, very difficult is unrealistic and just bizarre: "I know you are supposed to have Friday afternoon off - but no one is leaving until the work is done." "Yes, you've worked through two weekends, but that is the price that has to be paid." Truth is, work can sometimes be difficult; truth is, there are often ways to make it easier.
Further the creation of "this is all so overwhelming that we are about fall over into a dead heap" often leads to the perception of martyrdom - that somehow our amount of suffering is directly proportionate to our success. Again, this is an illusion.
As leaders, we need to make work as easy as possible. We need to be inspiring. We need to be honest. This is what will win the day; illusions get you nothing.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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