when does Leadership and Corrective Training cross the line and would be classified as Bullying?

SGT Kevin Smith, I have an example of just that - leadership crossing the line and becoming bullying. And this is when I was a civilian! My boss, a Lieutenant Colonel, disapproved of something I said in a small, Division meeting. He didn't say anything to me when I said what I said - and it was not disrespectful or rude, nothing like that, but it did appear to counter what he had been saying in the meeting. After the meeting, he called me in his office, closed the door, and told me we were going to have a "one-way conversation," that I was not to speak. And he proceeded to chew my ass for stating my opinion in the meeting. (My "opinion" was in my area of expertise, and I was right, but that didn't matter to him.)

After I was dismissed, I linked up with the senior civilian in our Division and asked him how I could file a grievance. I did file the grievance, but it was essentially swept under the rug. That guy was my boss until I left the Division, and I never felt comfortable around him after that episode.

To me, that was bullying. He didn't like the fact that I knew more about a subject than he did - it was my area of expertise when I was a warrant officer and as a DA civilian - so instead of listening to me, he bullied me into silence.

It is said that toxic people can do so much harm!

Unfortunately there is a lot of that kind of behavior. It becomes bullying if the purpose of corrective action goes beyond the scope of the behavior. Any personal attacks or retribution over a grudge is abuse of authority. It should never be a personal attack, leaders should only talk about the behavior and not the person. If they go around finding little things just to correct than the question is are they really concerned about behavior or are they really looking for an excuse to project their authority.

I have observed in my career what would appear sometimes people going around and trying to find or instigate issues so they can puff their chest out and start talking down to people. This kind of behavior I think starts a chain reaction that younger generation sees as sppropriate and does this when they reach higher rank and authority.