A Sociopath, a Psychopath, and a Bully walked into the corporate office. They were dressed impeccably.
The Sociopath was charming and glowed with charisma. The Psychopath wore his Armani suit and Ralph Lauren Purple Label tie like a fashion model. His hair was perfect. The Bully seemed sweet in her pearls and understated St. John's knit suit.

Women and men in the lobby paused to look at the trio as they entered the elevator on the way to their interview. They seemed charming, self confident, and sociable. Each appeared to be the perfect candidate, as they cruised through their job interview.

The lobby security guard could tell from the smile on their faces as they departed, that they had aced the interview, and he would soon be seeing them often as they arrived for work.


The Perfect Environment at Work
In today's economy, with companies practicing lean management, flattened hierarchies, and tough management styles, boards and managers seek candidates who are able to make tough calls and unpopular decisions. This is the perfect environment for the aforementioned personalities. Truth be told, they thrive in this environment. With their charismatic style and easy manner, they can charm even the most experienced interviewer into hiring them.

They begin slowly. They have to get the lay of the land first.




As a consultant for a Big 3 organization, I worked right next to one of these types. On his first day he said "who do I have to suck up to in order to get ahead in this place." I never forgot it. What a thing to say first thing in the morning, day one. I watched him with uneasiness as he worked the system. It was truly smooth and a wonder to behold.

The Sociopath Next Door

In her book, "The Sociopath Next Door" Martha Stout, PhD writes that "1 in 25 ordinary Americans secretly has no conscience and can do anything at all without feeling guilty." Martha, a practicing psychologist, trained at the famed McLean psychiatric hospital, and a clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, states that we almost certainly know at least one or more sociopaths already.

In helping her patients and their families, she has learned that "the damage caused by sociopaths among us is deep and lasting, often tragically lethal, and startling common." Having worked with hundreds of survivors she has empirical data from which to extract the knowledge shared in her book. This is not guess work. This is real work.

In the book she asks, "Who is the devil you know? Is it your lying cheating spouse, your sadistic school gym teacher, your boss, who loves to humiliate people in meetings, the colleagues who stole your ideas and pass them off as her own?"


According to Martha, "one in twenty five individuals are sociopathic, meaning essentially, that they do not have a conscience. Without the slightest blip of guilt or remorse, one in twenty five people can do anything at all."


All one has to do is watch some of today's reality shows, or read website comments, to see how callous some people can be.

I found the book intriguing, because of the increasingly mean spirited communication in today's corporations.

Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

Psychopaths prosper in organizations. They operate successfully in an employment setting. With the chaotic change, they use their skills to manipulate people, while progressing their own career. Perhaps you work for one of them. They draw you in with their charm, while taking credit for your ideas and your work. Management loves them and finds them charming. They know how to kiss up and kick down. They are often rewarded with promotions in the wake of the damage they inflict on their victims.

Psychopaths succeed in corporations because their psychopathic traits are mistaken for desirable characteristics. The company believes that their style will get things done. They know how to make people produce. They are grandiose, impulsive ,and manipulative. But they hide it well. What the board knows is, things are getting done and results are what they are interested in.

The psychopath is an expert in manipulation. Don't even consider outsmarting them. They have the lock on manipulation.

We would all like to think that if we met someone with this personality trait we would be able to recognize them. Actually, the opposite is true. They are charming, beguiling, and charismatic. Even if we were warned, we would still be taken in by them. They are good at what they do.

"Snakes in Suits" is an excellent book written by Paul Babiak, PhD. and Robert D. Hare PhD. They note in the book that "the psychopath is a near perfect invisible human predator."

The writers also indicate that "they assess the value of individuals to their needs, and identify their psychological strengths and weaknesses. Second, they manipulate the individuals (now potential victims) by feeding them carefully crafted messages, while constantly using feedback from them to build and maintain control. Not only is this an effective approach to take with most people, it also allows psychopaths to talk their way around and out of any difficulty quickly and effectively if confronted or challenged. Third, they leave the drained and bewildered victims when they are bored or otherwise through with them."
Perhaps you recognize someone you know in this statement. I know I do.

Bullies at Work

As a trainer in conflict management, bullies at work is a subject that I teach while providing the skills and techniques to survive their tactics in the workplace. Often attendees seek me out in private moments to discuss what is happening to them in their organizations. Sometimes the bully is sitting right next to them in the seminar and is their boss.

Bullies are weak people with low self esteem who need to hurt others in order to make themselves feel better. They not only bully their colleagues and direct reports, but blame the victims for making it happen. They sometimes cause the group to take sides and at first reward their followers while tormenting their victims.

Bullies cross silos in corporations and wreak havoc on people in other departments. Sometimes they execute a rotation style that causes the victims to remain silent because "thank God they're leaving me alone today."

Truth is, I once had a bully in my seminar who tried to engage me in battle due to her discomfort with the mirror she looked in while I described the four bully types in organizations. What she did not realize is that rather than engaging me in battle, she exposed herself as the true bully she is. Attendees approached me later to apologize for her as they felt empathy for the situation.


What You Can Do About

Sociopaths, Psychopaths, and Bullies abound in today's tough economic climate. It is a worldwide epidemic that is being investigated to determine how to terminate this problem.

I encourage you to purchase these books to learn more, thus enabling yourself the ability to recognize each personality type. If you have a Kindle, begin by downloading a sample of the book as I did, just reading that short excerpt will encourage you to learn more.

If you work with someone who matches these traits, arm yourself with the knowledge of how to dodge their remark, recognize what is truly happening, and escape from their path. Like any danger, forewarned, is forearmed.