ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the mental health of senior leaders, its impact on the organization, and the role of coaching executives in the workplace. It describes the conditions underlying the behavior pattern, how to recognize the pattern, how to coach individuals who exhibit this pattern, and provides a real-life case study to illustrate how coaching can bring about better ways of running their organizations. The chapter explores four types of challenging personalities: narcissistic, bipolar, psychopathic, and obsessive-compulsive. Leadership coaching can be a force for the good in helping executives become aware of toxic behavior patterns. More traditional coaching interventions may turn out to be ineffective, and even damaging, when the client suffers from a severe case of psychopathology. Comparable in establishing a coaching relationship with a narcissist, for executives with bipolar tendencies, the coach needs to help create awareness among the people of the ramifications of their personality make-up.
