Media Update:

Fraud  Magazine interview with    Drs. Babiak and Hare.

Issues Management

Many of my clients are CEOs, principals of entrepreneurial firms, or HR executives who are dealing with problematic situations that revolve around troublesome individuals who disrupt operations or morale, or whose behavior runs counter to corporate values and culture. 

Examples of assignments I’ve undertaken have included:

• “High-potential” leader on a rotational assignment whose actions have crippled a once-prosperous division.  His political connections within the larger organization added complexity to the situation.

• Midlevel executive whose intimidating behaviors have alienated a once-effective team.  Only after several talented employees left the firm was the problem brought to light.

• Minor equity partner who has sabotaged operations and client relationships.  When confronted, he launched a barrage of lawsuits demanding exorbitant bonus awards and damages.

• Business partner whose actions have led to a criminal fraud investigation.  He has implicated his (innocent) partner with false accusations causing great difficulty for all concerned.

In these examples and others, I worked with the organization to assess the person and situation in question, identify available options, and then develop a strategy and tactics to achieve a resolution to the management issue. 

Typically, the key objectives are to first clarify the situation, then neutralize (and possibly remove) the problematic employee, and avoid expensive legal action.  In cases where legal action was in process, I have participated as a consultant to the legal team to complement their legal strategy with a psychological perspective.

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Leadership and Executive Development 

Many of the leadership issues on which I have consulted are less dramatic, but no less important.  While some individuals are natural leaders, many would benefit from focused executive development.  Once they hear the message and are given the proper resources and guidance, they can grow and develop as hoped. 

I work on leadership developmental issues in two ways:

Shadow Consultant:  I coach executives and managers who are supervising the developing leader, but who may not have had much experience in the areas of executive development.

Together we:

• assess the problematic behaviors, attitudes and judgments of the leadership development candidate,

• identify issues of fit, style, personality, and skill, and then

• develop a plan of action, which may include developmental assignments, formal executive education, coaching or other solutions. 

In this approach, the executive retains all control of the resulting development, builds a stronger relationship with the developing leader as his or her mentor, and receives credit for the success.

Private Coach:  In some cases, leaders have used my services to help themselves improve or resolve difficult career situations.  Sometimes they have received puzzling feedback about their style and effectiveness, or they realize that their current view of the world is no longer accurate and they have to change course. 

Together we:

·        assess the current situation (and damage, if any, that has already occurred),

·        evaluate the climate for change in the organization, and

·        strategize new and different approaches to take to improve fit, effectiveness, and personal satisfaction.

In this approach, I act as clients’ confidant, helping them interpret the information they are receiving from others, provide them my personal observations and feedback about their own style, and then work with them to make the appropriate changes to be successful.

With my lengthy experience in leadership and executive development, I am in a position to offer clients a sounding board about their concerns and future actions.  As a psychologist, I am prepared to offer them useful, personal feedback that they might not get from others.

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Training and Education

In addition to my coaching and consulting practice, I also provide training and education to organizations.  My programs are unique and based on my book Snakes In Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work (HarperCollins, 2006), which has generated much interest in the business community.  The book is based on my and my co-author Dr. Robert D. Hare’s research into the impact of psychopaths (or people with psychopathic qualities) on the corporate environment.  While corporate psychopaths are rare, the havoc that just one who infiltrates your organization can do is considerable.  Read some of the business headlines of the past few years and you will understand.

My programs can take various forms, customized to the needs and interests of the organization, but the most popular are:

Executive Briefing:  A short (60 – 90 minutes) educational talk geared to small management groups.  Topics covered and takeaways include: 

• What are the traits and characteristics of the “corporate psychopath”?

• How are psychopaths different from “narcissists” and “egocentric executives”?

• How do they manipulate employees and organizations toward their own selfish ends?

• What can executives do to strengthen the corporate culture against the onslaught of the corporate psychopath

• Questions and Answers

Corporate Psychopaths: What Executives Need to Know:  A mid-size (2 - 2-1/2 hours) introduction and overview of the corporate psychopath or fraudster geared to groups of financial executives.  Topics covered and takeaways include:

• What are the traits and characteristics of the "corporate psychopath"?

• How do they manipulate employees, organizational control systems, and savvy investors toward their own selfish ends?

• Why and how psychopathic features are often mistaken for good leadership traits

• Integrity - the missing piece

• Five lines of defense executives can implement to secure the organization from fraudsters

• Questions and Answers

Snakes In Suits for HR Professionals:  A full-length (3 ~ 4 hours) training program for HR professionals that goes into greater depth about the corporate psychopath, with emphasis on Human Resource’s unique role within the corporate hierarchy.  Topics covered and takeaways include:

• What is psychopathy (the personality disorder behind the psychopath’s behavior)?

• What are the traits and characteristics of the corporate psychopath?

• How are psychopaths different from narcissists and egocentric executives?

• What types of psychopathic manipulation does the psychopath engage in day-to-day, and why can’t the rest of us see it?

•  What can Human Resources do to strengthen the organization’s defenses in the arenas of employee recruitment, selection and succession planning?

• How can Management handle someone who is already on staff?

• How can one distinguish psychopaths from “diamonds in the rough” or “problem employees”

• Questions and Answers

The material presented is based on my book but assumes the program participants may not have read it yet.  The program material is delivered in business language with only slight addition of psychological terms relevant to psychopathy.  The agenda can be adapted to suit your needs and interests.

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Copyright 2008 Paul Babiak, Ph.D.  All rights reserved.