For the vast majority of
readers who are not psychologically trained or inclined, you should restrict
yourself to coaching but understand the signals that something other than
coaching is required. Â Combinations of the
following factors (and the more that are in evidence, the more conclusive they
are) will indicate psychological, emotional and medical problems.
- A fixation on others being "out to get them"
when there is no evidence to support such claims.
- Obsessive behaviors, for example, insisting on
reading all subordinates´ incoming and outgoing mail, approving decisions
that are rightly made several levels below, and so on
- Severe fatigue for prolonged periods; falling
asleep inappropriately on a regular basis
- Irrational outbursts of anger without inclination
to prevent or control them
- An uncaring attitude about significant events,
decisions and plans
- Deviant behavior, for example, shouting, walking
out of the room abruptly, deliberate lateness, heavy sarcasm and so forth
- Unwillingness to trust others, even subordinates
and colleagues
- The belief that everyone, including customers,
is trying to cheat or take advantage of him or her personally
- Continuing "cognitive dissonance" - saying one
then ("Let´s maximize sales this quarter") while doing another (withholding
sales promotion literature and marketing efforts for no apparent reasons)
- Overt cheating and/or stealing, for example,
encouraging people to take office equipment, recording fictitious client
lunches
- Deliberately lying on major issues on a consistent
basis
- The expressed belief or behaviors that show
rules apply to others but not to her, for example, demanding punctuality
while always personally late or forbidding personal calls while making
them himself.
- Long absences, either during the day or for days
on end
- Signs of substance abuse, for example, alcohol
on the breath during business hours, glazed eyes, inability to focus,
frequent trips to the rest rooms and other places of privacy.
Excerpted from Process Consulting: How to Launch, Implement, and Conclude Successful Consulting Projects, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2002.
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