{"id":8328,"date":"2018-04-28T13:59:36","date_gmt":"2018-04-28T17:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/?p=8328"},"modified":"2019-09-22T16:43:20","modified_gmt":"2019-09-22T20:43:20","slug":"interviewing-wolf-corporate-psychopaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/blog\/interviewing-wolf-corporate-psychopaths\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be a fox when interviewing a wolf (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Little<\/a>Most of us remember hearing the story of Little Red Riding Hood when we were kids. This cautionary tale was not told exclusively for our entertainment, it\u2019s also designed to warn children to be leery of strangers who may lure and prey upon them through disguise and false kindness. As we got older, we probably became familiar with the popular saying, \u2018beware of a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing\u2019<\/em> which has been used frequently and ranges from biblical passages to the legendary Aesop\u2019s Fables. The messaging throughout seems to be consistent and captures the sentiment that not all who appear harmless are, and that underneath the guise of a welcoming grin can sometimes await a dangerous bite.<\/p>\n

Last week I started to explore the presence and impact of these deceitful people who act like wolves or professional predators in the places where we work (see Corporate Psychopaths \u2013 Wolves in the Workplace (Part 1)<\/a> to read the full blog article). I examined how these proverbial wolves are actually \u2018corporate psychopaths\u2019, who often become successful and powerful in upper management\/executive roles by using their skills in exploitation, manipulation and other abusive methods to get ahead. This week, in the second part of the blog, I want to list a few ways businesses and other organizations can prevent these types of predators from prowling their halls.<\/p>\n

It is important that employers are aware that often these types of \u2018wolves\u2019 never stop hunting to get to the top. One potential telltale sign is someone who appears<\/em> to be significantly more motivated and competitive than their other employees and<\/em> is willing to cross lines and boundaries that \u2018regular\u2019 people won\u2019t cross to get what they want.<\/p>\n

To be fair, an overly ambitious employee is not always a corporate psychopath, but extreme ambition combined with how<\/em> they go about attaining promotions, accolades, and influence is a good place to start.<\/p>\n

As noted in Snakes and Suits by Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Robert D. Hare and in\u00a0part one of this blog<\/a>, due to their controlling and selfish nature, corporate psychopaths are instinctively drawn to positions of power and control, as well as occupations that provide wealth and high status.<\/p>\n

Clearly, the best way to avoid the damage that these corporate psychopaths\/wolves can cause is to avoid hiring them in the first place. Once you let one in, the harm and destruction can be almost immediate to staff and eventually a businesses\u2019 reputation and bottom line.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>So, to borrow from the animal narrative again, I recommend that employers think like a clever fox when potentially dealing with a corporate wolf \u2026 here are four ways to increase the odds of spotting one early.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be clever like a fox when dealing with a corporate wolf:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Beware of the Halo Effect.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0halo effect<\/strong>\u00a0is a type of cognitive\/thinking bias where our general impression of a person influences how we feel and think about his or her character. Essentially, your overall impression of a person (“He is so charming and charismatic!”<\/em>) influences your evaluations of that person’s specific traits (“He is also smart!”<\/em>).<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Sometimes, these wolves can be<\/strong> as hard to spot as salt dissolved in water<\/strong>. This is because many of the qualities associated with corporate psychopaths are also on the \u2018wish list\u2019 of most employers which usually includes the following characteristics:<\/p>\n