Excerpt from A-CHIEVE! (May 2011)

With most everything in life, it’s all about ‘striking the right balance’ vs. allowing the pendulum to swing too far to the left or right. The same holds true in the leadership world as it applies to our strengths. If we turn up the dial too much on any one strength, oddly enough, that strength can quickly morph into a debilitating liability. Case in point – have you ever had the opportunity to work with colleagues who would generally be described as having “it’s my way or the highway” or “I’m right – you’re wrong” attitudes and when they don’t get their own way, they act out? And act out they do either overtly or covertly – from sabotaging your goals to misrepresenting your ideas to spreading malicious rumors about you to fighting you every step of the way. And even more confusing, while you’re observing all of their crazy behaviors, they’re adamant about having the best interests of your organization at heart and even take you to a place of martyrdom as they claim that they’re only fault is either caring too much or being too passionate about their work. Our advice – don’t be fooled! These colleagues are not passionate – they’re obsessed – and they need a healthy dose of ‘tough love’ coaching.