Management Stripped Bare 183 been plain incompetent, and you have been left holding the baby. It is tempting to seek revenge. It is not worth it, and it does not work. If you try to get revenge, everyone sees what you are doing and all the individual and institutional defences go up. You just discredit yourself. If you stay aloof, it is possible that days, months or years later the chance for quiet revenge comes along. Take it if you want. But do not bother to wait for the opportunity. Revenge is immediate and at hand. It is called happiness. Happiness is the ultimate revenge, because no one can take it away from you. And this will infuriate your detractors: the more they see you are calm, collected, confident and happy, the more frustrated they will become that they have not got to you. Their behaviour will become more dysfunctional, while you will continue to look professional: you win, they lose. You only lose when you sink to their level. Churchill was once accused of being drunk at dinner. He turned to his accuser and said: `I may be drunk, but you are ugly. At least in the morning, I will be sober.' Leave the ugly feelings and behaviour to others: that is the way they are today and the way they will be tomorrow.