Human Behavior - Why type As implode, go nuts and do stupid things! by Kay Cannon

[Deborah Johnson]

Lexington, KY - “All I can ask is that you trust me with this decision and know that it is no more politics as usual.” - Sarah Palin, former vice presidential nominee, abruptly resigning as governor of Alaska.

For thousands of people — myself included — their first reaction to Palin’s announcement was a shocked and bewildered, “What just happened?”

It’s a natural response when an otherwise accomplished individual does something that, at best, seems to make no sense and, at worst, sends their career — and oftentimes their company — into a catastrophic spiral.

The landscape is littered with examples ranging from embarrassing slips of the tongue to mind boggling blunders.

“It’s like — it was like the Special Olympics, or something.” - President Barack Obama describing his bowling to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.

“I just spent … five days crying in Argentina.” - Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, explaining his odd disappearance.

“I made a mistake for using bad judgment and making bad decisions.” - Michael Vick, NFL quarterback, on his way to prison for dog fighting.

Make no mistake. These odd, head-scratching events are not limited to prominent players in the national headlines. Businesses are hit with them every day. Consider these real examples.

• The fast-track manager explodes in uncontrolled rage at an employee and gets fired.

• The superstar salesman tosses ethical standards — and his company’s credibility — out the door in order to make the big sale.

• The multimillion-dollar basketball coach rudely insults a reporter on national television.

These three situations created costly collateral damage that could have easily been avoided if the parties involved had seen the early warning signs of the impending train wreck.

What do the fast-track manager, the superstar salesman and the multimillion-dollar basketball coach have in common? All are successful Type A people driven to achieve big results. And therein lies the answer to “What just happened?”

Top-performing Type A people are especially prone to the “what just happened?” phenomenon.

With their competitive nature and “whatever it takes” attitude, Type A individuals tend to rise to the top performer ranks by using their power, passion and persistence to get outstanding results. Executive suites, management teams and board rooms are filled with Type A individuals. High potential employees being groomed for key roles also frequently fall into the Type A category.

But before you fall under the alluring spell of the Type A, take heed. There is a seldom discussed dark side to members of the Type A tribe.

While Type A individuals undoubtedly can be major contributors to organizational success, they also bring greater potential risk. Like rocket fuel, Type As are capable of taking your organization to new heights. However, when their power and passion veer off course, the outcome can be explosive. We don’t need to look further than the Lexington Public Library or Blue Grass Airport to see the costly consequences of Type A individuals who failed to course correct.

When highly accomplished, Type A individuals implode, go nuts or do something stupid, we frequently ask, “What were they thinking?” They were thinking what they have always thought. It is human nature to stick with what works until proven otherwise, and no one will argue that louder or longer than a Type A superstar.

In the world of Type A individuals, their thinking becomes more and more entrenched each time they succeed until — here’s the kicker — the thought patterns become unconscious. They don’t even notice the default thoughts that impact their decisions and actions.

The top-performing Type A tends to rely on the default thinking that created past success. Unfortunately, when Type As move into jobs where success requires juggling elephants and herding cats, default thoughts cease to serve and start to sabotage. Hidden performance gaps begin to occur. In the beginning, the hidden performance gap may be small, but over time, it gets bigger and bigger until something explodes. What just happened?

Here is one example of default thinking that can turn a top-gun talent into a flop.

“Time is my most precious asset.”

There are multiple potential negative impacts that could stem from this thought.

Time is my most precious asset, so I’m going to teach that lazy employee a lesson she will never forget.

Time is my most precious asset, so I don’t want to waste my time speaking to the Rotary Club.

Time is my most precious asset, so who wants to be a lame duck governor?

Do you see how that little, seemingly innocent thought could sneak up and throw your power and passion overboard into infamy?

For every Type A individual whose misjudgments land in the headlines, there are hundreds more on a trajectory headed for trouble. In fact, if you are a Type A person, I predict there will be a “What just happened?” in your future, unless you identify the default thinking that is pulling your levers like the Great Oz.

Kay Cannon is an award-winning executive coach. Visit her blog at www.KayCannon.com. Got a tale of strange or inexplicable human behavior in the workplace? Send it to [e-mail] for discussion in a future column.

“What Just Happened?” is an exploration of the actions of decision makers, which often impact many. Kay Cannon will help you laugh and learn from the experiences shared by readers like you.