7 Signs You Might Be Working with a Grinch

The Grinch became one of the most famous characters of the Dr. Seuss lineup when, in 1966, 38 million people tuned in to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Many Christmas movies have those warm soft themes (think of those painful holiday Hallmark movies!), but this one is different. The Grinch (played by Jim Carey in the 2000 version), is an angry, grumpy, bitter, green creature who lives on Mount Crumpit. And he despises both Christmas and the Whos of Whoville who have mastered the art of Christmas celebrations. So, he devises a scheme to ruin Christmas for everyone. While his devious plan gets turned upside down and he has a literal change of heart, we can see some common characteristics between the Grinch of Mt. Crumpit and the Grinch we sometimes see at work or in the mirror. 

Here are 7 signs you might be working with a Grinch – or maybe you are the Grinch.

1. A Grinch often harbors a deep-seated anger within.

As the Grinch stood at the top of his mountain and looked down on the town, the narrator said, “So whatever the reason his heart or his shoes, he stood outside his cave and hated the Whos.” I will leave it to the therapeutic community to take the time in guessing the “why,” but some leaders are fueled by their anger and hatred of others.

2. A Grinch likes to find what’s wrong rather than what’s right.

When the Grinch is caught stealing everything from Cindy Lou Who’s house, she pays him a compliment. Yet his response to her compliment is, “Nice kid. Bad judge of character!” Grinches in the workplace are like heat seeking missiles looking for the flaw in a person, project, or organization. It’s not that identifying mistakes is wrong – that is the job of anyone who wants to move from good to better. However, Grinch-type people only see shortcomings and seldom celebrate or affirm successes.

3. A Grinch takes pleasure in reminding others of their failures.

The Grinch sarcastically criticizes his loyal dog Max for struggling to pull the oversized sleigh, calling him a “disgrace to dogs everywhere.” It’s one thing to see a mistake or shortcoming of someone, but it is pathetic when we take pleasure in the failures of others and receive gratification from weaponizing their mistakes and humiliating them. I once knew of a leader like this – she made herself look good by making others look bad.

4. A Grinch seldom celebrates wins or congratulates others on their successes.

When the Whos continued to celebrate Christmas even after the Grinch sabotaged it, he called it “disgusting” rather than acknowledging their resilience. Grinches seldom celebrate the success of others, mostly because they like to be the center of attention. When others receive attention for a successful program or project, Grinches like to either critique the person or the performance. Or they insert themselves into the story of how they were the reason for the success.

5. A Grinch leads others with fear rather than through positive influence and character.

I once met a business leader who was, let’s say, a bit on the grumpy side. The leader was smart, financially successful, and intimidating – a dangerous combination of ingredients. It would seem that, just like the Grinch, he took pleasure in having people “gaze into the face of fear.” If people only listen to you because of fear, once the cause of that fear is removed, the Grinch loses all power and their following goes away as well. “Want to” followers usually outlast “have to” followers.

6. A Grinch commonly thinks of themselves as the smartest person in the room - or on the mountain.

Contrary to a commonly held misconception, some leaders and managers are really smart. That’s a good thing. However, the problem arises when they see themselves as much smarter than everyone around them. When the Grinch pretended to throw the stick for his dog Max and the dog took off running, he said “There is no stick. I’m smarter!” This is exactly how Grinches think about themselves – “I’m smarter.”

7. A Grinch is often isolated, having only a few people who like them.

This one is not a shocker. Research in emotional intelligence has differentiated emotions that attract others and build connection versus emotions that repel others and alienate connection. Just like Dr. Suess’s Grinch, real-life Grinches are often isolated and aloof, show little vulnerability, and make little effort at building relationships and serving others. As the Grinch said, “One man’s toxic sludge is another man’s potpourri.” The by-product of a leadership Grinch is plenty of sludge.

Is there hope for the Grinch?

A Grinch’s flaws do not have to be fatal or final. Quite often, Grinches live in a doom loop where they continue to manifest the behaviors that produce short-term gratification. Those around the Grinch expect such behavior resulting in a Grinch living up to those expectations. And on and on it goes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sometimes, a person who can see past the ugly facade, like Cindy Lou Who does in the movie, can produce the first steps of change. Other times, the realization of being alone and isolated serves as a stimulus for a Grinch to make some changes.

The truth is, we are all a bit rotten inside. Under the right circumstances, both our arrogance and fear can bring out the Grinch within each of us. Jesus has a message of hope for all of us regardless of how broken we are inside: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12.

This Christmas, consider watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, take an honest look at yourself, and commit to being a leader people want to follow rather than a leader they follow out of fear and intimidation.

Contact us to learn more about how leadership coaching can give you the tools to be the best leader you can be.

Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.