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Last night, at 11.20 pm, I received a mail from a person:
“Hi Peter, Thanks so much for attending Member Spotlight and other events at XXXXXXX. Based on your recent feedback and ratings, it seems we have not been able to meet your expectations for what makes a great event, and for that, I apologize.This is not someone who I know personally, but someone I met in work-related contexts.
It may be that we are not the best fit for what you are currently looking for, and that is completely fair.
We will remove you from our mailing list. I sincerely hope you find a community that better aligns with your personal and professional needs.
Wishing you all the best,
X”
The back story. I'm in Finland because of my expertise in leadership, decision making, entrepreneurial thinking, organizational learning, and social creativity for problem-solving and innvation, which I have lectured on at masterclass level at several different universities in Finland and Sweden. For the past 20 years, there have been students from at least 10 countries at each course.
X is a host at an office hotel which offers mingles for people who are interested in starting or running a business.
And according to Finnish government arms and organizations, Finland has issues, basically with everything that is related to my expertise: school, research, entrepreneurship and innovation, as well the economy (see list with 36 points; Österberg, 2025).
Because I have no research money, I offer my expertise to those who need it most – businesses. This is an obvious win-win situation.
A couple of years ago, I was invited to conduct an introduction speech about my master classes. I spoke for ~45 minutes, we had some Q&A:s, and then we had dinner. It was a great format for a master class for managing directors/CEOs or similar.
After the talk, one of the guests approached me and said: – I know where you are going.
He was probably satisfied with what he had heard, because he took me to the place where the guy who wrote the email works.
I was impressed by the interior including the stage, and the person who brought me there and I probably had the same thought – that it is a perfect place for my master classes. Again, an obvious win-win situation.
He then introduced me to the managing director, and some other people, including the host – X.
X said that he would contact me in June, because he was very busy.
But as the summer went on, X never got back to me. When we later met at the office hotel and I reminded him, he had a tantrum.
The guy who had brought me to the place was very surprised by X longstanding aggression; he couldn't understand why a person who is assigned to host events would throw a tantrum at an expert in the topics his employer wants to present to their audience?
Still I kept getting invitations, and after each event, they sent out an email asking participants to give feedback about the event. And I always answer the same thing: the event is really well organized (at the absolute top), but the content is mediocre.
Besides research and lecturing, I have also worked as an executive coach for managing directors (MDs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEO) (mark the difference).
And my clients have never asked me to sugar-coat anything, rather the opposite; they have typically asked me to let them know about their weaknesses.
That makes sense, because if you, in the role of the manager, don't fix the problems, then the board may not be so interested in extending your contract.
Another trait is that X didn't use my formal title, but my first name. This is a trick in communication to pretend we know each other that the sender has friendly intentions. And it's also a bit condescending.
X used another trick. Instead of I he used we. It is a trick used to try to create the illusion that others share the sender’s view. The sender is trying to dilute ownership of the message by making it seem shared and to protect their position by implying that others share the same concern – even if it is not confirmed. Simply shirk responsibility.
Why has X been so grumpy?
One common answer is that grumpiness (aggression) occurs when things are not going so well.
I went through the company's annual reports for 2022-2024 and found that EBITA was 4-5%. That's a positive result, but as far as I understand, 10-12% is expected.
Can X behavior be labeled a bad apple?
“Yes, there is a study from 2006 known as the “Bad Apple Effect.”This research was conducted by William Felps, Terence Mitchell, and Eliza Byington at the University of Washington. The study examined how one negative team member can significantly impact the overall performance and dynamics of a group (Co-pilot)
“This paper presents a review and integrative model of how, when, and why the behaviors of one negative group member can have powerful, detrimental influence on teammates and groups. We define the negative group member as someone who persistently exhibits one or more of the following behaviors: withholding effort from the group, expressing negative affect, or violating important interpersonal norms. We then detail how these behaviors elicit psychological states in teammates (e.g. perceptions of inequity, negative feelings, reduced trust), how those psychological states lead to defensive behavioral reactions (e.g. outbursts, mood maintenance, withdrawal), and finally, how these various manifestations of defensiveness influence important group processes and dynamics (e.g. cooperation, creativity). Key mechanisms and moderators are discussed as well as actions that might reduce the impact of the bad apple. Implications for both practice and research are discussed” (Felps et al. 2006).
“A single “bad apple” can reduce team performance by 30 – 40%. That's not a typo – one negative person can slash your team's effectiveness by nearly half” (The Leaders Guide).
“Common defensive mechanisms employees use to cope with a “bad apple” include denial, social withdrawal, anger, anxiety and fear. Trust in the team deteriorates and as the group loses its positive culture, members physically and psychologically disengage themselves from the team” (Gardner, 2007).Here as the other bad apples I was forced to meet in Finland:
June 30, 2023. Bad apple #1 AgendaPride: All straight panel. Ted Uhros påstående om transidentitet är falsk. The bad Apple effect
March 2, 2025. Bad apple #2 How I, despite living it the "happiest country in the world", became a victim of the bad Apple effect
July 7, 2025. Bad apple #3. Finlandssvenska barnrättsdagar 2025. Estlander förbjuder & bjuder in? mig – experten – från att delta. Chat Gtp: don't take it personally (it’s often more about them than you)
July 21, 2025. Bad apple #4. On the risk of meeting Finnish people with mental health issues. Another sad case
November 1, 2025 Bad apple #5. Vad händer på en arbetsplats när inte alla drar åt samma håll? Om bekräftelse-bias, naturlig dumhet och dysrationalia
November 12, 2025. Bad apple #6 Another encounter with a 'Bad apple' in Finland. Will there soon be enough to fill a whole basket?
November 26, 2025. Bad apple #7. God Jul på Språkambassadörernas verksamhetsadministratör Jaan Siitonens vis. Ytterligare ett möte med ett 'Bad Apple' (n=4). Är korgen snart full?
March 31, 2026. "Finlands vägval: När värdfärdsstaten krackelerar" (von Kraemer). Förklaringen är snarare stamtänkande & #badapples
More about my expertise:
Executive coaching for CEOs/managers and workshops to facilitate Organizational Performance, Learning, and Creativity for Problem Solving | Lectures: Nutrition for physical and mental health | Course/lecture: children's emotional and social adjustment and cognitive development | Language training - Swedish | Academy Competency | CV | Teaching skills and experience | Summary of research project | Instagram | Linkedin | YouTube-channel | TikTok | X
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