Review: The Elephant in the Boardroom: Adrian Furnham

I remember a conversation with a friend a couple of years ago who was completing his doctorate work at Oxford.  He was studying “the stuff” that makes great teams and found that behavior was often more important than intellect to insure success when selecting good team members. 

In The Elephant in the Boardroom Adrian Furnham and John Taylor write about how to identify disturbed leaders before they derail a team!  In their book they profile three toxic leaders that will disrupt any team!

1.    The Successful Psychopath

a.    People on this spectrum tend to succeed in the work environment. Their bold behavior and charming ways can prove quite attractive.  However, job stresses can propel them in destructive behavior. 

2.    The Self-Absorbed Narcissist

a.    Healthy individuals have high self-esteem but egoism can ascend into an unhealthy realm.  Many of these leaders are praised for their leadership potential but if left uncheck and begin to think that they are the only one that matters. 

3.    The Ruthless Machiavellian

a.    It is a dog eat dog world and these individuals will do whatever it takes to climb the ladder.  They have a take-no-prisoners approach to work and will do what ever it takes to get ahead.  They cheat and lie and can quickly break the trust needed to work as a team.

Chances are that at sometime in your life you have encountered one or two of these individuals in the work place.  In the movie Horrible Bosses we get a humorous look ask how difficult it can be to work under one of these behavior profiles.  The best way to protect the health of your organization is to develop a careful recruitment process that explores the past behavioral tendencies of your potential candidates.  It is also important to have an objective governance process to help when teammates get off track.