The head of the IT department was brilliant. He implemented many new, digital problem solutions in the company and always delivered top results. Only one thing puzzled the managing director: the permanent staff changes in the IT area and the never-ending search for new employees; also the bad ratings of the IT area in job portals.

So he asked the HR manager to determine the employee turnover in the various areas of the company. The specific reason for this: The company was finding it increasingly difficult to find employees with the necessary IT know-how not only for the IT department but also for the specialist departments that worked closely with them. The result was: Fluctuation in the IT area is almost three times as high as in the other departments and more than half of the new employees there resign at the latest at the end of the six-month probationary period.

The problem is often swept under the carpet for a long time

When asked about this, the head of the IT department replied: "IT people tick differently than 'normal' employees; they are also highly courted. So they change more often.” The managing director didn't contradict this, but he thought to himself: Employees usually only change employers if they are dissatisfied with their work situation. So he instructed the HR manager to analyze them. The result was: The salaries in the IT area are top - also compared to the competition. The work content and opportunities for advancement are also right, since the company is pursuing a growth strategy and the company management attaches a key role to digitization in its implementation.

However, the IT manager turned out to be a weak point in building a powerful IT team and finding and retaining new employees. He obviously considered himself the only brilliant mind in the company, and he let his employees and cooperation partners feel this in their daily interaction. Yes, he has a penchant for beating up employees and publicly pillorying them. This was emphasized, for example, by ex-employees in the IT department who were contacted by HR and asked about the reasons for their change. They regularly had to justify themselves to the IT manager, also in the presence of colleagues, for real and alleged errors and omissions and were overwhelmed with allegations. There was even a name for this ritual among colleagues: “hot seat”. And everyone unexpectedly sat on it at some point and mostly because of trifles.

The bosses often only have sporadic contact with the jerks

The manager couldn't believe his ears; he had experienced the IT manager differently. That surprised no one! After all, he didn't work with him every day. He only met him sporadically in meetings, in which the IT manager usually reported on “his project successes”.

Again and again one encounters employees in companies who are technically top notch, but in everyday dealings disregard the simplest rules of human interaction. There is a term for such a person: “brilliant jerk”, with the Germans sometimes calling those “brilliant pukes”. Such employees can exist in companies in all areas and at all hierarchical levels. As a rule, they have knowledge and skills that are well above average or rare and important in the respective context. That is why they are usually extremely successful professionally and make a significant contribution to business success.

At the same time, however, they tend to overestimate themselves and consider themselves better because of their knowledge and skills. These toxic egos are valued and feared by their peers, and it is not uncommon for them to feel helpless at their mercy, which is why they eventually pull the rip cord and leave, because brillant jerks are usually also good actors and clever manipulators. They have mastered the targeted disparagement of colleagues and the staging of their own performance.

The bosses often back the jerks for too long

For this reason, and because they are often really great in terms of their expertise or organization, it is usually easy for jerks to win over their superiors and harness them for their goals. Employees who complain about their behavior are often not taken seriously by their superiors. Because taking the criticism seriously and reacting to it appropriately would require the boss to question his image of the jerk and admit to himself: this was, if not wrong, at least one-dimensional.

Many decision makers don't do that. As long as a jerk (over)fulfils their expectations, they usually see no reason to intervene, because: In their eyes, the results speak for the person who has been scolded. This hesitation can have fatal consequences which are often recognized too late. A bad working atmosphere and an overly harsh tone can, for example, lead to:

• that really good employees resign internally and only work to rule, unless they flee and change employers,
• that problems are no longer openly named because everyone fears: “Then I'll be in the pillory”,
• that companies maneuver themselves into a dead end because no one dares to articulate objections to the problem solutions proposed by the brilliant jerk and the management trusts him blindly, or
• that regular customers leave because they no longer feel valued and are increasingly dissatisfied with the company's performance.

Brilliant jerks are only loyal to themselves

Brilliant jerks don't just have “bad character”; Rather, psychologists would usually attest to a narcissistic personality disorder or even a psychopathic disorder. Such personalities are particularly common in environments in which measurable success, effective processes and hierarchical dependencies are of great importance.

Managers often think that such employees are particularly hard-working and loyal. This is a fallacy because the primary concern of jerks is:

• to satisfy their ego and their inflated need for approval and
• time and again to feel the appreciation and importance that they and their work deserve in their own opinion.

That is why they not only let their colleagues, but also their superiors, feel their advantage in knowledge or experience in communication. And because this excellence usually also exists in certain areas, they are also granted the desired recognition - especially if they are systemically important or are considered to be so. Therefore, these employees usually have a lot of power. This is dangerous, also because brillant jerks quickly feel existentially insulted if they no longer experience the recognition and appreciation they deserve. Then their apparent loyalty to the company or supervisor is often abruptly reversed. It is not uncommon for them to turn their backs on the company all of a sudden.

Bosses often face a dilemma when dealing with the jerks

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 the further development of the company or for maintaining ongoing operations. So they have to be courted in a certain way and kept in a good mood - especially in times when good specialists and managers as well as proven “experts for ...” are rare, particularly in many MINT professions. On the other hand, today at least the core services of the company are usually no longer provided by lone fighters, but in cross-functional and often cross-departmental teamwork. In order for this to work, all employees must adhere to certain rules of conduct. This also includes dealing objectively with problems and treating colleagues with respect, but also customers, service providers and suppliers.

The toxic CIO in the example above was fired for his egocentric or unappreciative leadership style. Mainly because the management realized: This key position, in which so many threads come together across departments and which plays a central role in achieving our strategic goals, is far too important to be filled with a brilliant jerk. Because with him we can achieve so-called “quick wins”, i.e. short-term successes, but we cannot build a solid foundation. So management secretly hired a headhunter to look for a suitable successor for the IT manager before dumping him.

Milestone: Reduce the jerk's power and influence

In everyday business, small and medium-sized companies in particular often find it difficult to part with a brillant jerk. For example, because he is the only person who is familiar with certain IT solutions or technical processes. Or because he has special knowledge in the commercial area. Or because the managing director knows that even if a suitable replacement is found for him, he still has to be trained. And who does that?

When you find yourself in a bind like this, you often have no choice but to regularly provide the brilliant jerk with the desired positive feedback to satisfy their need for meaning and recognition. At the same time, however, you should try to isolate him as much as possible so that his toxic behavior does not become an intolerable problem for other employees or entire departments.

Be on the lookout for possible substitute gratifications

Brilliant jerks often have a psychological problem that has roots in their childhood. Only a therapist can fix this, if at all. Therefore, as a manager, if there is a reasonable suspicion, you can only try to minimize the collateral damage with foresight. For example, you can give the jerk quite specific but relevant tasks that require a rather low level of cooperation. But beware! Make sure that this does not result in him accumulating even more success-relevant informal knowledge or special knowledge, so that dependence on him increases further.

Individual discussions and (team) coaching can sometimes improve the working atmosphere in the short term, but they do not solve the basic problem, because: For brillant jerks, satisfying one's own needs has top priority; they lack the necessary empathy for the needs of other people. Therefore, you should never promote such employees to (higher) management positions as a reward for good performance - even if they threaten to leave the company otherwise. Instead, consider what alternative ways there are to satisfy the jerk's ego and desire for approval—for example:

• treat him to a larger office or a company car or
• appoint him as an advisor to the management in matters of “...” and print him a corresponding business card or
• ensure that he can publish a specialist article in a renowned specialist journal or give a lecture on his favorite topic at a congress.

The way to the goal: Dissolving the dependency on the jerk

At the same time, however, you should work towards gradually 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 is about to escalate and the employee needs to be separated quickly? Then you should consider, for example, whether an external service provider can temporarily close the gap in knowledge or skills that arises during a separation - even if this causes additional costs in the short term.

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