{"id":1956,"date":"2012-05-04T05:24:01","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T11:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corevalues.com\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2012-05-04T05:24:01","modified_gmt":"2012-05-04T11:24:01","slug":"beware-the-narcissistic-employee-hes-all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corevalues.com\/dev\/2012\/05\/04\/beware-the-narcissistic-employee-hes-all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware the Narcissistic Employee \u2013 He\u2019s All That and a Bag of Chips!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Copyright TIGERS Success Series<\/p>\n

By Dianne Crampton<\/p>\n

He\u2019s suave, debonair, smartly dressed, and says all the right things you want to hear. Sound like the ideal date? Hardly<\/em>\u2026 he is sitting right across from you at the interview table and could be your future employee from hell.<\/p>\n

In a recent post<\/a>, I reported that as the economy starts to heat up, employers could stand to lose as much as 79% of their workforce. And employers that didn\u2019t watch their Ps & Qs during the Great Recession may find themselves among the organizations seeking new hires as their existing teams wave goodbye leaving for greener pastures. If his happens to you, how do you ensure you won\u2019t replace one disengaged employee for a nightmare employee who looks good on paper and can charm a snake?<\/p>\n

According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, <\/strong>when it comes to interviews, narcissists do it better because they\u2019re not at all shy about self-promoting. \u00a0No surprise there, but how do these employees fare working side by side with the rest of the organization\u2019s team? While narcissists are good at landing the job, they ultimately tend to bring a toxic component into the office environment.<\/p>\n

Peter Harms, the study\u2019s lead author and assistant professor of management at the University of Nebraska states, \u201cUnder high pressure narcissists increase their self- promotion. They talk a lot and they talk fast. And people tend to mistake that fast talking as a sign of competence and intelligence. They think that fast talkers have a lot to say and know the material so well that they don\u2019t need to pause and think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A narcissistic employee tossed into the ranks of a well-oiled team will never gain your team\u2019s respect. What they will bring is chaos, discontent, and eventually a higher turnover rate among valuable employees who no longer want to deal with the \u201cI can do it better than anyone else\u201d attitude.<\/p>\n

While it is still true that individual innovation and strategic thinking are highly valued, there are ingredients missing from the narcissist\u2019s personal arsenal such\u2013 interpersonal skills, empathy, and the ability to work collaboratively. Without the ability to communicate, listen, and build relationships with peers, these individual so-called \u201cstar performers\u201d<\/a> can leave a toxic trail behind them wherever they go.<\/p>\n

So how do you spot the narcissist when interviewing? Other successful organizations have utilized the TIGERS Team Wheel<\/a> game to apply fundamental principles and insights to their interviewing process.\u00a0 This has saved employers from major headaches and financial loss due to the hiring of a narcissistic employee.<\/p>\n

Here are four questions employers need to seek answers to when interviewing a new hire:<\/p>\n