Whenever I’ve had got a member describing their manager as “a psychopath,” my heart sinks – not because I think they are right or wrong but because I’m likely to get a rant (not unjustified) rather than hard evidence. They’ve bought into trying to work out what’s wrong with their manager rather than gathering evidence of their manager’s unacceptable behaviours. The only people qualified to diagnose psychopathy are the professionally qualified, and only if examining that person. Unlikely as all bullies, including psychopaths, think they are just fine.
I put off reading ‘Snakes in suits’ for similar reasons, it sounded too self-help, quick diagnosed, trite. I could not have been more wrong; one of the authors, Robert D. Hare, is the psychologist known for his criminal psychology research. Hare developed the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-Revised), used to assess cases of psychopathy.
If you are a manager or HR, you need to read this book; it will help you protect your employer from the worst damage an employee can inflict. If someone seems too good to be true – check their qualifications and references thoroughly – as the more you like them, the more thoroughly you can have been tricked. The more prestigious an organisation is, the more it will be targeted by those after prestige and power. That is not limited to the 1% who are psychopaths but to all those who want to behave abusively – remember all bullies and harassers want is – status, power and opportunity #anewnormal #bullyingintheworkplace #bullyingawareness #bullyingprevention #harassment #snakesinsuits
