Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work (34 page)

i n a b i l i t y t o a c t p r e d i c ta b ly We are all more comfortable with people who are somewhat predictable, even those who are different from us. Businesses need to know that those working for them will show up at work, perform their jobs according to accepted safety and quality standards, get along with others, and not disrupt the work of others. Even creative types, who may surprise us with their genius, are considered predictable once their day-to-day work habits are understood. What a business cannot afford is what is commonly referred to among management as a loose cannon. These individuals wreak havoc on the
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normal flow of business as well as on the day-to-day social intercourse of other employees. They disrupt meetings, come up with irrational ideas, embarrass others and the company, and surprise even the most seasoned. Few executives like surprises, and they pride themselves on being aware of the goings on of their business. Because you never know when it will go off, a loose cannon can be the executives’ worst nightmare.

Unless one truly understands the machinations of corporate psychopaths, it is almost impossible to predict what they will do. Rarely are others privy to the inner workings of their mind, making them dangerous employees to have on staff.

Astute psychopaths control their behavior while in the presence of those in higher authority, especially if they have identified them as potential pawns or patrons. In most cases, the best sources of information about their erratic behavior are coworkers or supervisors close to them.

i n a b i l i t y t o r e a c t c a l m ly The ability to remain calm during a crisis is the hallmark of good leadership. Psychopaths are quite adept at maintaining their cool when in situations being observed by those in power, especially if this trait is valued by the organization. Yet when out of view, they can overreact in socially inappropriate ways. Many who observe this phenomenon will report them as being dramatic. Occasional outbursts by supervisors, such as when responding to a dangerous safety violation, are acceptable and even expected. But psychopaths tend to overreact in response to perceived personal insults or insufficient demonstration of respect for their authority. This harms the work group, and ultimately the company, because it puts everyone on notice that the psychopath must be treated with kid gloves. Psychopaths become unapproachable, which defeats the purpose of good supervision, open and honest corporate cultures, and free flow of information. Groups subjected to dramatic bosses often lose their cohesion and team spirit, falling back on an “every man for himself” mentality.

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Because psychopaths are able to moderate this behavior while in the presence of authority they respect, it can go unnoticed for considerable amounts of time—until they move on and the stories start to emerge. Unfortunately, the only evidence available before a psychopath’s departure is rumors and tension in the department. Insightful HR organizations can learn more about what is really going on if they follow up on such information.

i n a b i l i t y t o a c t w i t h o u t a g g r e s s i o n Bullying and intimidation have no place in business; they disrupt work, hurt people, and are unfair to those who cannot defend themselves, which often includes most of the company staff. In business settings, overt aggression comes across as bullying, while its covert form is coercion and intimidation. Few executives would argue that these can harm the company. Learning about this type of behavior is often difficult, though, as most bullying is done in private.

Because of the legal ramifications of such behavior, many companies institute no-bullying policies and create confidential mechanisms for affected employees to report this behavior. Codes of conduct often have provisions concerning bullying and intimidation.

In some European countries, it is also against the law. To be effective, the policy must be clear and communicated to all. Supervisors and managers must receive training on how to recognize bullying and to deal effectively with it. Employees may also receive training on how to confidentially report abuses in their workplaces.

Psychopaths, despite their charming and engaging personas, are masters of manipulation, intimidation, and coercion. Overt bullying often is a tool of their trade. The problem is that these behaviors, as well as threats of litigation, may also be directed toward those who investigate the complaints.

ACT V, Scene I

CIRCLE THE WAGONS

“Do you have a minute?” asked Frank, peering into John’s office.

“Yes, sure, what’s up?” asked John, the vice president, putting down his pen.

“I need to talk to you about Dave,” started Frank, entering the office, closing the door and taking a seat. “I’ve been hearing a lot of bad reports about him the past couple of months, and one of my best analysts just asked to be transferred off Dave’s project team.”

“Transfer? That’s not good. You think Dave’s the issue?”

“Well, I know he is,” said Frank, exasperatedly. “One of my guys came to me two nights back, after hours, to tell me what has been going on.” John leaned forward, interested in what Frank had to report. “He said that since the project started, over six months ago, things have been getting steadily worse. Dave has
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been disrupting and dominating the team to the point that many don’t want to work with him anymore. He apparently doesn’t come prepared, often comes to the meeting late, leaving a whole room full of people idle, yells at folks, cuts people off while they’re making their status reports, and embarrasses them if they make a suggestion. People are afraid to speak up, and they’re losing interest in the project because they feel they can’t do anything right by Dave.”

“That’s really odd, Frank. Dave has always come across as a good leader, and I thought he was well liked. Have you spoken to him about this?”

“Yes, the first time was about three months ago, when I read his interim report. It was a mess: a hodgepodge of material he seemed to cobble together because I asked. There was no organization, no synthe-sis, and no accurate timeline. He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—even answer some basic questions about the details and figures. I told him I expected more of a status report, complete with his personal analysis and recommendations, and more details about dates, costs, and so forth.”

“How did he respond?” asked Frank.

“Well, at first he went ballistic on me, ranting about how we have too many meetings at this company, I should trust him, and on and on. I had to close the door because he was disrupting the floor. After he calmed down, we spoke and I outlined my expectations. He seemed to understand and said he would improve.”

“Did he?” asked John.

“Yes, actually he did—dramatically, I’d say. His next two reports were outstanding. I didn’t agree completely with the timeline, and some of the material was overly self-serving, but most of it was what you would expect. So I was surprised when I heard things had gotten worse on the people side of the equation; I was under the impression that the team was working well together. Plus, some other things have come up.”

“Could it just be a personality clash between Dave and your guy on the team?” interrupted John. “Maybe Dave’s style is getting in the way.”

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“No, I don’t think so. This was the second transfer request this week, and my secretary has heard other rumblings through the department. He tried to give one of the temps something to type last week and she told him that he had to get it approved first. Well, he made a big scene and got her crying before she finally agreed.

Plus—”

“Frank,” started John, slowly, “I have to tell you that Dave came to me about three or so months ago. He complained that you were getting on his case.”

“He went to you about me?” said Frank, at first surprised, and then getting annoyed.

“Yes, well, we’re on the softball team, you know, so over a beer I asked him how things were going, you know, the usual chitchat, and he started in on you. He seems to have a very short fuse.”

“What did he say?” asked Frank.

“Basically, it boiled down to your being too demanding, too detail oriented, stuff like that. I told him that’s why you make the big bucks.” They both laughed half-heartedly. “I also told him that getting things done on time and in budget is what makes success here, and that he should focus more on pleasing you.”

“So maybe it was your pep talk that got to him, not mine,” suggested Frank.

“Neither here nor there, Frank. If he’s hurting the team and disrupting others, then that’s a problem. You should meet with him again,” started John. “Did you say you saw him yesterday?”

“No,” Frank said. “I wanted to touch base with you first, put together a strategy.”

“I think you can meet with him, tell him you’ve heard things, and see where it takes you,” offered John.

“There’s more, John,” said Frank seriously.

“Oh,” John paused. “What?”

Frank continued, “I’ve heard that Dave hasn’t been writing the reports himself or meeting with the other departments to coordinate the different phases. Even some of the other department heads are wondering why Dave is not meeting with them himself. Some say
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he’s not doing any of the work he’s supposed to. Apparently, Dorothy is doing most of the heavy work for him.”

“There’s nothing wrong with delegation, Frank. Maybe he’s developing her, or she just wants to be helpful.” John paused and thought. “Dorothy? She’s not one of yours, is she?” he asked.

“No, she’s from Jerry’s area. Dave insisted we put her on the team because she’s very motivated and can help with the artwork. I really had no problem with it and neither did Jerry,” added Frank.

“Hmmm, that’s odd. Dave was complaining about some female on the team—I don’t think he gave me her name—who wasn’t carrying her own weight. He was blaming her for some of the delays; he had to spend all his time tutoring her and fixing her mistakes. I suggested he move her off the team, but he said you wouldn’t allow it; you had made a deal with Jerry to give one of his hotshots some exposure to the product development process and couldn’t back down.”

“Well, no. Putting Dorothy on the team was Dave’s idea, and, interestingly enough, Dave never complained to me about her. Jerry does think highly of her, yes, but she needs more experience. I never heard that she wasn’t doing well at all; in fact, Dave praises her all the time. He thinks that Jerry is holding her back.” Frank and John looked at each other.

After a pause, Frank continued, “We’ve—I’ve—got a problem, John. There are too many contradictions here. I need to deal with it.”

“You’re right, we need to find out what is really going on. Look, I have a meeting in a few minutes. Why don’t you come back late this afternoon? Bring Dave’s file and whatever else you can dig up.

Let’s review everything first, and then decide what to do.”

“Okay,” said Frank, getting up and heading toward the door. “I hope this is just a big misunderstanding,” he sighed.

“Doubtful, Frank,” said John.

10

Hot Buttons and Weak Spots

PERSONAL SELF-DEFENSE

Nancy loved being a traveling nurse. Like many travelers, Nancy had put in her time at a major city hospital, got the experience she needed, and then, at age thirty-two, decided to make a career change. Travelers, she found, get more money, and a bit more respect from the medical staff than the regulars do.

As a young nurse, Nancy was appalled by the egocentricity of the surgeons she worked with; she had been surprised, actually, that they were entirely different than she had fantasized about in school. She used to wonder why some of them weren’t sent for psychotherapy, or at least an anger management course. A wise old nursing instructor explained to her, following a public dressing down she received from a doctor, that they act this way—rude, crude, and lewd—because of the intense pressure they face every time they cut into a human body.

“They really do feel for their patients deep down inside,” assured
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the instructor, “but years of making life-and-death decisions hardens them, and their only outlet is to act out in the OR.” Nancy accepted this explanation for a while, and it helped her deal with her frustration, but then she learned about traveling nurses and saw an opportunity to work at her craft knowing that she would be on the road in a few months. She knew she couldn’t change who the doctors were, and it appealed to her that she could change the working relationship between her and them, so she made the switch.

Then one day she met Marshall. They happened to sit next to each other on a plane as Nancy was moving to a new job in the Midwest, and they struck up a conversation. As often happens when we find ourselves locked into a seat next to a stranger for a few hours, Nancy started to talk about herself to Marshall. Normally not very talkative, Nancy found herself captivated by this handsome man in a dark gray suit who seemed to take an interest in her. When she found out that he was a physician, she got nervous. Oh, jeez, not a doctor, she thought, but his calm demeanor and friendly smile eased her concerns.

“My career choice came late in life,” he admitted. “It was difficult juggling my schedule to attend classes, particularly the labs, but my boss at the time understood, probably because he was a veteran, too.”

“You were in the war?” asked Nancy, beginning to wonder whether Marshall was much older than she had surmised.

“Well, for a short while, but then I got shot down.”

“Oh, my God,” she said, gasping.

“Yes, well, that’s the nature of war—it truly is hell. I couldn’t just leave my guys there; I had to save them,” he added casually.

“My dad got a Purple Heart in Vietnam; did you get one?”