Power Mongers In the Workplace

I have heard from several readers about the negative impact that power mongers have had on your places of work. I thought we would look at a number of scenarios that seem to bring out the ‘power beast’ in people and what to do about it.

The Know-it-All- Most of us have had the interesting challenge of working with the infamous ‘know-it-all’. This is the employee who has a gift for knowing the minute details of every process and procedure done in the department. Their knowledge makes them the obvious ‘go to person’, but the minute you go to them for information or advice, you quickly understand why they typically sit alone in the company lunch room. These employees often hold their knowledge at bay, and the price you will need to pay for the information is a small piece of your self esteem. These employees walk around with an air of superiority and are highly skilled in talking down to their co-workers and supervisors. Somewhere along their life journey, they came to believe that information equates to power. Unfortunately, once they end up realizing that the information does not actually create any real power, they often act out in a rude and arrogant superior manner in order to give the impression of superiority. These characters can be extremely detrimental to the cohesiveness of a team. As the leader, you need to address this behavior head-on and have an open and honest discussion. I suggest you discuss the following:

• Your definition of team work
• What you expect from each member of the team with regards to contributing to a collaborative and cohesive work team
• The perception of the team with regard to their lack of team focus (give specific examples)
• Inform them of your commitment to providing them with feedback each and every time you see them doing anything that detracts from a cohesive team environment
• Explain the consequences for continued unacceptable behavior

The Dreaded Promotion- One of the most common events that turn people into power mongering lunatics is the dreaded promotion. I am not sure what it is about this situation that makes some people lose their minds, but the consequences can be devastating to a work place. Let’s think about how strange it all is. An employee works hard and shows what they are capable of, the employee gets rewarded for the results of their efforts by receiving a promotion, the employee’s career implodes because the promotion goes to their head and they start treating direct reports and co-workers like in a rude and demeaning manner. It is completely illogical, but it happens all the time. As the leader, it is important you stay tuned in to your newly promoted employee to ensure you are not seeing any signs of the power game being played. If you do, then meet with the employee and lay it out on the table. Include examples of their behavior and the impact it is having on the team

The Training Nazi- What is it about giving an employee the responsibility of training a new comer that can turn them into a complete lunatic? I have seen many cases where seemingly normal, well adjusted, solid performers turn into Attila the Hun when presented with the opportunity to train a new employee. Being in a position where the trainer has all the information and the new comer must rely on them for their early success, seems to be some weird aphrodisiac to some people. They begin to act in a rude and bossy manner and often overstep their bounds in the type of training and feedback they give to new hires. As the leader, it is critical that you stay in tune with how your trainer is doing. If you witness or are made aware of any issues, you must address them head-on. Remember, the trainer is often the employee’s key link to their new organization. You need someone who is an exceptional role model, not someone who needs a high dose of Prozac!!

The Prima Donna Project Manager-Similar to the training Nazi, the minute you give someone the responsibility of managing a project, you better be prepared to monitor their behavior. Some employees are natural team builders who seem to have a knack for bringing a group of people together to achieve a common goal. Others take the opportunity to push: push their own agenda, push people around, push people to the point of anger and subsequently push people out of the group. All of this creates a strong probability that the project will be in danger of falling far short of expectation. As the leader, make sure you periodically solicit feedback from project team members, as well as making unannounced visits to project meetings. Often times the body language along will tell you more than words ever will. If issues exist, take the bull by the horns and lay it out on the table for your project manager. If needed, begin taking a stronger hand in the leadership of the project.

Those Terrible Titles- This category absolutely fascinates me. I have seen time and time again where a company makes an organizational change that equates to nothing more than a title change for a group of employees. There is no promotion, no increase in responsibility, no increase in pay, just a change in title. Nonetheless, there is always a group of individuals that take this as a license to start treating their co-workers like doo doo. Add the term ‘lead’ or ‘senior’ to a title and some people just go insane. As the leader, it is important that you clearly communicate these types of organizational changes in a clear and concise manner. If the title change did not include any significantly new responsibilities, then make sure the employees impacted are fully aware of the scope of their role. It may also be a great reinforcement to announce the changes to the entire team and make sure to include the fact that despite any title changes, roles and responsibilities are the same. Also inform the team that there are no changes to their reporting structure and all team members still report directly to you. This may put the kibosh on anyone trying to send out any information to the contrary. Then, stay close to your team and listen for any drama that may be brewing.

SUMMARY
It is absolutely amazing when you sit back and consider all of the things that can negatively impact a work environment. Unfortunately, this type of drama occurs each and every day in the work place and all it does is detract for your team’s ability to focus on their key responsibilities. Employees who have some innate need to try and influence their work place through their use of power and intimidation need to be immediately dealt with. You need to have an effective face-to-face conversation with them about the perception they are creating as well as the negative impact their behavior is having on the team. Make sure to make it perfectly clear the type of behavior you expect from everyone on your team and the consequences for failing to meet those expectations. It will go a long