For over forty years the NFL single-season scoring record was held by a triple-threat player, Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Paul Hornung. Hornung set a record of 176 points in 1960 by scoring fifteen touchdowns, kicking forty-one extra points, and also kicking fifteen field goals.
Green Bay’s opponents feared Hornung, and for good reason.
But there’s a triple threat to your organization that’s not celebrated — and is rarely identified. These are the three distinct types of toxic employees who can run wild in your organization with disastrous consequences (see our recent blogs on the Toxic Organization).
These are employees who:
- Have an exaggerated self-belief and who consistently overstate their competence, ignore critical issues, and disregard or undermine others contributions; or
- Act with cunning and manipulation, use coercion, white lies, or clever arguments to force others to act against their will; or
- Are misanthropes – hold beliefs associated with not liking, relating to, or trusting others.
The disruption, misdirection, and angst caused by such people is hugely damaging, and ultimately diminishes both the speed and accuracy with which an organization mobilizes.
The triple threats redirect employees away from focusing on the results, lead employees to question the resolve of their leaders, and poison the working environment.
Their negative impact is disproportionately greater than it should be, in part because they may remain unidentified for years, their behavior tolerated (or excused) for all the wrong reasons, they do not respond to feedback and training. And of course, once identified, they can prove extremely difficult to remove.
Guess what? Every organization has them — yours too.
The Point
What would it be worth to your organization if you could identify such players early — either at the selection stage or early career — and get them off the field?
Psynet Group can do this with the latest version of our PsybilⓇ assessment platform. We can identify those players who can damage your organization, and advise on the best solutions. So don’t let a triple-threat outscore your team — identify their game plan and get them off the field. To find out how, reach out to us at Psynet Group to learn more about the Psybil assessment platform.
Learn More
To learn more, check out our previous blog posts, Restructuring a Toxic Organization: What to Expect and How Do I know My Organization is Toxic?