Personality and Perception
Title of the Article: 3 Personality Types That Can Harm Your Business
Date of the Article: July 24, 2012
Source of the Article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224046
Topic: Personality and Perception
The candidate Pierce Howard interviewed for a sales position at his consulting firm, CentACS, won him over with her work experience, friend-of-a-friend connection and good looks. But it didn't take long after she started working at the Charlotte-based firm for her to prove herself a nightmare employee.
She refused to write sales proposals even after Howard sent her to a $5,000 training session on the topic. She didn't meet sales quotas and grew abrasive at any kind of feedback. Within months, she'd managed to convince an intern at the eight-person firm to quit. Company morale was suffering. Employees would gather behind closed doors to complain. "There was an element of the narcissist in her," Howard says. "She did not question her own personal judgment." After a year, Howard finally gave her the pink slip.
What makes Howard's situation particularly compelling is that his company CentACS--the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies--specializes in personality assessment and training. It shows that even the most perceptive business owners can make a bad hire when they don't pay attention to the right signs. Howard learned his lesson. "We hired her against our better judgment," he says. "There's a solid body of knowledge out there about the traits you should look for. You should not ignore that."
Here, three personality types that can bring down your business and how can to spot them in an interview.
1. The Narcissist. One of the most dangerous personality types in the workplace is the narcissist, says Robert Hogan, president of Hogan Assessment Systems, a Tulsa, Okla.-based personality assessment firm. It's easy to make the mistake of hiring a narcissist--they are often charismatic and radiate self-confidence. But a narcissist will manipulate others in the
Date of the Article: July 24, 2012
Source of the Article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224046
Topic: Personality and Perception
The candidate Pierce Howard interviewed for a sales position at his consulting firm, CentACS, won him over with her work experience, friend-of-a-friend connection and good looks. But it didn't take long after she started working at the Charlotte-based firm for her to prove herself a nightmare employee.
She refused to write sales proposals even after Howard sent her to a $5,000 training session on the topic. She didn't meet sales quotas and grew abrasive at any kind of feedback. Within months, she'd managed to convince an intern at the eight-person firm to quit. Company morale was suffering. Employees would gather behind closed doors to complain. "There was an element of the narcissist in her," Howard says. "She did not question her own personal judgment." After a year, Howard finally gave her the pink slip.
What makes Howard's situation particularly compelling is that his company CentACS--the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies--specializes in personality assessment and training. It shows that even the most perceptive business owners can make a bad hire when they don't pay attention to the right signs. Howard learned his lesson. "We hired her against our better judgment," he says. "There's a solid body of knowledge out there about the traits you should look for. You should not ignore that."
Here, three personality types that can bring down your business and how can to spot them in an interview.
1. The Narcissist. One of the most dangerous personality types in the workplace is the narcissist, says Robert Hogan, president of Hogan Assessment Systems, a Tulsa, Okla.-based personality assessment firm. It's easy to make the mistake of hiring a narcissist--they are often charismatic and radiate self-confidence. But a narcissist will manipulate others in the