1. What should the board do with regard to John's poor decisions? Should they fire him? What alternative routes are available?
2. How can John be made aware of his disruptive behaviors?
3. What role can his wife/family play to help John address his bipolarity?
4. Within the workplace, what can be done to leverage John's strengths (creativity) and minimize his disruptive behavior? What type of structure will be a best fit for John in the organization?
John is a strong executive with extraordinary drive and commitment who suffers from bipolar dysfunction. He is great in a crisis, effectively rallies people behind his causes, and has been shown to lead with great passion. However, the flip side is that he can be overwhelming and appear illogical, and prone to unrealistic and grandiose plans. His single-mindedness and self conviction has lead to a number of seriously detrimental decisions.
Bipolar dysfunction results in an overactive mind, which clearly influenced John's effectiveness as a leader.