Is there a Psychopath in your office?

When we think of psychopaths, disturbing images of Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates will probably spring to mind. However according to a new book entitled “Snakes in Suits” by Professor Robert Hare and Paul Babiak, psychopaths may already be working in your very own office.

Professor Hare, an expert on Psychopathy, claims that Psychopaths are impulsive individuals who lack empathy and remorse for others. They are extremely controlling and crave power and prestige. If this might sound familiar to you, then Professors Hare and Babiak suggest that psychopaths often rise to prominent positions within organisations, take high risks, cause conflict and then leave the company in shambles before moving onto the next high profile role. Some have suggested that one may be the former Daily Mirror tycoon Robert Maxwell, who stole £400m from pension funds to help his ailing companies.

The challenge is to spot these psychopathic individuals in the first place. Psychopaths interview well and often charm their way into an organisation. Yet particularly with senior appointments some companies will use little more than an interview to select their key people. Therefore we should think more carefully about how we recruit our senior roles to ensure that we reduce the risk of hiring the next Hannibal Lecter.

You have been warned!