The Untouchables

There are employees and there are untouchables. I am going to focus on the latter this time around. I am sure you will find this interesting and will even be able to relate to it.

Lets first categorize these organizational untouchables:

1. Those who are super-good and super efficient but gets in the face of everybody else.
2. Those who are essentially destructive to the organization but has a certain hold on certain individuals at the higher levels of the organization.


The first type are super performers. They achieve results, meets targets and are hungry for more. They walk with a swagger that shows confidence and self-assurance that can only come with years of success and more success. They are experts in their areas of work. They radiate passion and enthusiasm. The problem with this type of untouchables is that they are poor 'people-person'. They often feel others are beneath them and have no qualms showing that. They want things done their way. They are always right. I remember one from this type in my own experience. She was a sales person who has been with this particular company for a long time. Her sales numbers were quite impressive as per the company's standards then. However, over the years the sales volume dropped. Numerous sales personnel were brought in but everyone left the company in less than one year. But the super-performing untouchable stayed on and earned more loyalty points from the boss. When I was asked to help the company's turn around plan, I identified her as the major stumbling block to the sales growth. She has decided, in her own mind, that if she could bring in good sales previously but the sales growth is slowing down now than the reason must be something other than her self. So, when the new sales people were brought in, their ideas are always suppressed first by her than later by themselves as they find their ideas are always rejected outright by her. And, when I decided to help her see this, she resisted and ran back to her boss. The boss defended her. She became an official untouchable. The rest of the sales team (which to this day I was told is constantly changing)felt betrayed by this one person.

The second group of untouchables are usually the most dangerous. They often have a strong emotional hold on certain key individuals in the organization. Sometimes this can be sexual in nature but usually it is a strong win-win bond that this person is very adapt at creating. These are the individuals that insecure leaders and managers rely on to get the so called 'office politics news'. In return the untouchable enjoys a certain level of immunity and tacit support from the manager. The web of relationships developed by this type of untouchables are so complicated and powerful that it is often impossible to determine who is under this person's influence.

Know any untouchables?