‘White anting’ is an Australian term. According to the Macquarie Dictionary, the verb means ‘to subvert or undermine from within’.
What is white anting?
Its namesake, the wood-eating white ant (aka a termite), can’t survive in the open. That’s why you don’t usually see any sign of these pests until it’s too late. When you discover the serious damage they’ve caused.
One of my coaching clients had this inkling she was being white anted by one of her peers. Please take that gut feel seriously.
Leaders often seek executive coaching at this point, not because the behaviour is dramatic, but because it’s subtle, deniable, and corrosive over time.
That peer, The White Ant was doing a mighty fine job of being just that, a white ant. The White Ant had their mutual boss under her thumb. And that meant my client was being denied resources, recognition and, potentially, reputation.
As you can imagine, sometimes the harder part is working out what you’re actually seeing. I’ve written more about that here.
Managing these pests
So, how did my client survive with her integrity and sanity intact? With support, here’s what she made sure she did consistently:
- Her job, completing the projects she had within her remit successfully. Even though it did mean working longer hours to achieve it.
- Played a straight bat. She deflected The White Ant damage as much as humanly possible.
- Played the ball, not the man. It was always about the work. There was no way she would ever become part of any white ant colony.
And guess what? The good guy won!
Having a place to talk it through with someone outside the system can help you stay grounded while deciding what to name, what to ignore, and what to document.
She eventually left the organisation and moved into a C-suite role with a salary increase of more than $100,000.
This was not an easy road by any means. It was some time before she reached out to me for external support. I was the first person who took her concerns seriously.
Situations like this often expose whether aligned teams actually exist, or whether individuals are left to absorb dysfunction on their own.
No, she wasn’t over-reacting. No, she wasn’t doing anything wrong. And yes, while her wellbeing took a bit of a hit, it could have been way worse for way longer. And she never compromised on her integrity. There’s a lot to be said for being able to sleep well at night.
If you’re being white anted
This isn’t something you solve with better stakeholder management or clearer communication. When you’re being systematically undermined, the real work is reading what’s actually happening, deciding what’s worth protecting, and knowing when to stay and when to leave.
This is one example of how executive coaching and organisational psychology come together: understanding what is happening in the organisation, how it is affecting you and what you can realistically do next.
When you are being undermined, it can be difficult to know whether coaching is the right response. The first conversation is about understanding your situation and whether working together would be useful.
If you’re not ready to talk just yet, take The Senior Leader Assessment. It’s 10 questions with immediate results.
Note: An anteater doesn’t lose its integrity or sanity doing its job, eating white ants. Neither should you.
Photo by alinemorais20120 on Pixabay.
