"Brilliant idiots" on the job?

Time and again, one encounters employees in companies who, although professionally top-notch, disregard the simplest rules of etiquette in their day-to-day interactions. In English, the term "brilliant jerk" exists for such people. Freely translated, it means "brilliant jerk. Such employees can exist in companies in all areas and at all hierarchical levels. As a rule, they possess knowledge and skills that are far above average or rare and important in the respective context. This is why they are usually extremely successful professionally and make a significant contribution to the success of the business. At the same time, however, they tend to overestimate themselves and think they are better because of their abilities. These toxic egos are both valued and feared by their colleagues. And not infrequently, they feel helplessly at their mercy, which is why they eventually pull the ripcord and quit. After all, "brilliant jerks," i.e., the jerks, are usually also good actors and shrewd manipulators. They have mastered the targeted belittling of colleagues and the staging of their own performance brilliantly.

"Brilliant idiots" are often backed up for too long

Because they are also often really top in terms of their expertise or organization, it is usually easy for jerks to win over their superiors. That's why employees who complain about their behavior are often not taken seriously by them. Because taking the criticism seriously and responding to it appropriately would require the boss to question and own up to his or her image of the Jerk: This was, if not wrong, then at least one-dimensional.

Many decision-makers do not. As long as a jerk (over)fulfills their expectations, they usually see no reason to intervene. This hesitation can have fatal consequences. The poor working atmosphere can, for example, lead to the following

• actually good employees quit internally and only do duty by the book,
• Problems are no longer named openly because everyone fears "Then I'll be pilloried",
• Companies maneuver themselves into a dead end because no one dares to articulate concerns about the solutions to problems proposed by the Brilliant Jerk anymore and the management trusts him blindly, or
• Regular customers leave because they no longer feel valued and are increasingly dissatisfied with the company's performance.

"Jerks" are loyal only to themselves

"Brilliant idiots" do not simply have a "bad character. Psychologists would usually diagnose them with a narcissistic or even psychopathic personality disorder. Supervisors often think such employees are particularly hardworking and loyal. This is a fallacy, because the primary concern of jerks is,

• satisfy their excessive need for recognition and
• to feel time and again the appreciation that they and their work deserve in their own opinion.

Therefore, they let their knowledge or experience advantage in communication be felt not only by their colleagues, but also by superiors. And because this excellence is usually real in certain areas, they are also granted the desired recognition - especially if the jerks are considered systemically relevant.

Bosses often find themselves in a dilemma when dealing with such personalities: On the one hand, these employees are often enormously important, for example, for corporate development or for maintaining ongoing operations. So they have to be kept happy - especially in times when good specialists and managers are scarce. On the other hand, at least the core services of today's companies are usually provided by cross-functional and often cross-divisional teamwork. For this to work, all employees must adhere to certain rules of conduct. These include dealing with problems in an objective manner and treating each other with respect.

Reduce the power and influence of the "jerks

In day-to-day operations, small and medium-sized companies in particular often find it difficult to part with a "brilliant jerk". For example, because he is the only person who is familiar with certain technical processes. Or because he has specialized knowledge in the commercial area. Or because the managing director knows that even if I find a suitable replacement, he first has to be trained. And who does that?

If you find yourself in such a predicament, you usually have no other option than to regularly give the "Brilliant Jerk" the positive feedback he wants in order to satisfy his need for recognition. At the same time, however, you should isolate him as much as possible so that his toxic behavior does not become a problem for others. For example, by giving him fairly specialized but relevant tasks that require little cooperation. But be careful. Make sure that this does not cause the jerk to accumulate even more success-relevant informal (special) knowledge, so that dependence on him increases further.

Individual discussions and coaching sessions sometimes improve the working atmosphere in the short term, but they do not solve the underlying problem. That's why you should never promote such employees to (higher) management positions as a reward for good performance - even if they threaten to leave the company. Instead, look for alternative ways to satisfy the "jerk's" ego - for example, treat him to a bigger office. Or appoint him as an advisor to management on "..." and print him a business card to that effect.

At the same time, however, you should work towards dissolving your dependency or that of your company on the "Brilliant Jerk". For example, by introducing other employees to the relevant task/topic area through appropriate training. Or by simply solving certain tasks differently than before. And if, despite all the "preventive measures," the conflict threatens to escalate and it is therefore necessary to separate from the employee in the near future? Then you should consider whether an external service provider can temporarily fill the knowledge or competence gap that arises in the event of a separation - even if this causes additional costs in the short term.

To the author:
Joachim Simon from Braunschweig is a leadership trainer and speaker specializing in (self-)leadership (www.joachimsimon.info). He is the author of the book "Selbstverantwortung im Unternehmen" (Self-responsibility in the company) published by Haufe-Verlag and co-founder of the (self-)leadership coaching app Mindshine.