Could you spot a psychopath at work? Author Darren Hill explains how

WE’VE all had moments when our colleagues have driven us crazy. But rather than just having a bad day, could they be psychopaths?

WE’VE all come across co-workers we wished we hadn’t met. Maybe they were rude, maybe they were sneaky or maybe they were just difficult.

But could they, in actual fact, have been a psychopath?

It’s not always easy to spot a psychopath, especially when you first meet them, but they will usually reveal themselves over time.

Behavioural scientist, author and co-founder of Pragmatic Thinking Darren Hill said a workplace psychopath will likely have high self-confidence and social assertiveness; they’ll have a lack of inhibition, great stress tolerance, take risks and want to get on with things.

If this is starting to sound a little bit like yourself, don’t panic, yet. The one defining characteristic of a psychopath is their lack of empathy.

Does obsessive attention to the font on a business card make someone a psychopath? Probably not. Watch out for the axe though.

Mr Hill said: “The difference between a go-getter and a psychopath is meanness. What you’ll see in most people is a sense of empathy, which is fundamentally missing in psychopaths. Psychopaths can be very charming and good at emotional manipulation but it’s hard to fake empathy.

“They can be the most charming person in the team if being charming helps them get what they want. But they’ll always place their personal needs over the needs of others.”

On the surface, the qualities that psychopaths exhibit — confidence, stress tolerance and a willingness to take risks — also make great leaders, which is why they’re over-represented in executive ranks.

The movie version of Miranda Priestly manages to redeem herself (only just) by the end, so maybe she’s not a psychopath?

Generally, psychopaths are said to number about 1 to 3 per cent in the population. So in a medium-sized enterprise, they’ll likely be at least one psychopath. And you’ll find more of them the further you go up the ladder.

And they can wreak havoc on an organisation. Mr Hill said: “Particularly if they’re a leader in the company, there can be a lot of destruction on workplace culture. What you tend to find is there’s a lot of crafty deception taking place. They’ll often seed their lies with a grain of truth so they can back their arguments.”

Frank Underwood is probably a psychopath. He doesn’t care who gets in the way of his ambitions.

According to Mr Hill, being a psychopath is a personality disorder. He said: “One of the things you have to remember is [being a psychopath] is a manifestation of value shaping at an early age. It’s a personality disorder, most of which are because of early childhood abuse.”

But if you spot a psychopath, don’t think they’re a fixer-upper like that quaint antique tricycle you spied in a salvage yard. Mr Hill said: “The first thing is don’t think you can change them. It’s not a mood disorder. If you think you working with a psychopath, start to look elsewhere or consult with your HR department about that person.

“No matter how much you use rational reason or thinking, they’re operating on a different wavelength and playing field.”

So how did you go? Are you a psychopath or do you need to start talking to HR about your desk buddy? Comment below.

Originally published as Could you spot a psychopath at work? Author Darren Hill explains how