Ever worked with a psychopath?
Not the kind that has bodies buried in their back yard, but someone in the workplace who can be incredibly charming and engaging on the one hand but on the other, ruthlessly pursues their goals at the expense of others, has narcissistic tendencies, manipulates people and situations, selectively bullies some colleagues, tells lies, and often claims credit for the work and ideas of others. And surprisingly, if they are ever caught out, this person shows little empathy, remorse or even embarrassment for what they have done.
If this sounds familiar, then you probably have a corporate psychopath in your midst.
Corporate psychopaths are found working in almost every work environment, comprising between 1 and 3 percent of men and less than 1 percent of women. US research suggests that 1 in 25 business leaders may in fact be psychopaths. Management, however, is not their only domain. They are found in all levels of an organisation from the most senior to the most junior. Because they are very clever in charming those they need to get close to and selectively bullying those they believe they need to dominate, their anti-social and destructive tendencies are not evident to everyone.
If you believe you are working with a corporate psychopath, it is possible to co-exist with them and protect yourself from their dangerous and downright sinister presence. To start with, you need to recognise who they are.
Tip one: Don’t fall for their charms
Corporate psychopaths are charming. This is their main offensive – they use their excessive friendliness to draw victims into their manipulative web. But not everyone who is charming and friendly is a psychopath. So how do you spot the difference? If, after having very little contact with you, a colleague is at pains to draw you into their confidence, is overly familiar and “chummy”, compliments you excessively, is often needy for your company or counsel, consistently back-stabs other colleagues and behaves as though you have established a strong bond (when in fact you haven’t), be very aware. This is an early warning sign. In fact you need to be wary of anyone who behaves this way in any environment including at the school gates!
One of the first corporate psychopaths I encountered at the start of my career, often sought me out to offer his advice and assistance in my new role– this was despite the fact that we worked in completely different departments! He was extremely jovial and kept cracking (in my opinion) lame jokes. Because I was keen to forge ahead independently, I politely thanked him for his offer to help – but he persisted. He began to come into my office, close the door and back-stab my predecessor which I found odd since I had already been told by other colleagues that they were close friends. I decided to actively avoid him. Once he understood that I was not receptive to his charms, he backed off, but did a number of underhanded things in an attempt to undermine me. I later discovered he had applied for my position and was incensed when he was rejected for the role.
My instincts served me well. His attempts to discredit me failed due to the lack of power he had over me or the situation he was manufacturing. I refused to adhere to his game. He was a text book corporate psychopath.
Tip two: Recognise what you are dealing with. Have your wits about you, and remain polite and formal
There is no margin for anything but scrupulous behaviour whenever you have dealings with a corporate psychopath. If they sense any opportunity to manipulate you, they will. They are aiming to charm you because they want something – favours, information, your contacts, your clients, even your job – maybe not now, but in the future and they believe you can help them. They are not interested in you – only what they believe you can do for them. Remember, be measured and careful – make it clear that you are incorruptible.
Tip three: Never, ever confide in them
Corporate psychopaths will confide in you. Often it is to back-stab another colleague or provide confidential information. They do this because they hope it will earn them an information swap and anything you do say they will use to discredit you. When they start this behaviour, remember to stay polite. Do not tell them that the information is inappropriate or that you are not interested – they will retaliate and make your life difficult. Listen politely but share nothing.
Tip four: Document and confirm discussions and agreements with them
Corporate psychopaths twist the truth to suit their purposes. You need to insure yourself and your team members against this. If you have to work with them on a project, offer to take notes and tell them you will email the key actions after each meeting. You can frame this by saying that is simply the way you operate. If they have a grievance with someone in your section, once again, document their problem and how it is to be resolved and send a copy of your notes to them and the most senior person to whom you report.
Tip five: If under attack – don’t react – respond
It is important to have clear goals in your mind in relation to how you aspire to behave in your role and your career. With these goals in mind, do not allow a corporate psychopath to tempt you away from those value goals. They are operating from a completely different moral code, or lack there of. No matter how upsetting, infuriating or overtly manipulative they may be, you must respond to their behaviour in a rationale way – a way that helps you achieve your goals. If a corporate psychopath is being excessively difficult , seek help from a trusted person in your organisation and/or an external coach/mentor. There is no shame in seeking help. You are not dealing with someone with normal social responses – they are unable to empathise and no one can change that.
Tip six: Don’t attempt to expose them single-handedly – it requires a team approach
Taking on a corporate psychopath single-handedly may be considered brave, but it is more likely to become nothing more than a kamikaze act. Corporate psychopaths often have supporters mainly because of their financial performance and due to their masterly way of charming people in positions of power. Sometimes organisations are well aware of the problems associated with certain individuals but have made a conscious decision to tolerate their behaviour because of their financial value. Some organisations take steps to insulate others from the individual’s destructive ways such as preventing them from managing teams and creating a virtual silo in which they can operate, giving in to some of their demands to keep the peace. The only time these types of measures are successful is when there is a clear understanding and acceptance within the leadership of the organisation that the individual is a problem but they are prepared to take the “good with the bad” but also protect colleagues and clients from his/her toxicity.
If you don’t believe your organisation has taken any steps to acknowledge the problem behaviours of a psychopath, you need to talk to trusted colleagues first and establish what you aim to achieve by raising this problem collectively. You need to document the staff turnover issues, stress caused by the individual, examples of bad behaviour and the consequences to the organisation by not addressing the problem. This then needs to be discussed with someone of power in the organisation who you know is ethical and trustworthy.
Tip seven: Don’t recommend counselling or training to address the behaviour
Training and counselling corporate psychopaths will not change their behaviour. In fact, it will worsen the situation. They simply use any training and support to learn new skills to disguise their tendencies and become even more manipulative.
Tip eight: Don’t try to make sense of their behaviour – label them (privately) for what they are
There is no point agonising over why a corporate psychopath is manipulative and shows no remorse for those he/she victimises. Research indicates their neurological make up lacks the connections required to have empathy for anyone. It does not mean that they are unable to form relationships, but it means they will only form relationships to satisfy their own needs with no regard for the needs or concerns of others.
What happened with my first corporate psychopath encounter? On the day I left the company nearly three years later, he gained access to my office and proceeded to destroy and delete every file I had kept for my replacement. It was only upon learning of this that I realised his capacity for vindictive and vicious behaviour. I am not sure where he is now, but I suspect he is continuing to crack his corny jokes, attempting to charm those he wishes to manipulate whilst carefully devising his next course of destruction!
For more information, please contact Toni Ware