You know how hard it is to manage the fallout from a manager’s disruptive behavior!
It’s not just the individual that’s impacted—it ripples throughout the entire team and undermines workplace culture.
Tension rises, morale drops, and productivity suffers, leaving HR leaders struggling to repair the damage while maintaining business continuity.
It can be draining for everyone involved, and fraught with negative consequences if not handled properly.
Is the best way to solve this problem to let the manager go, and hope a fresh start will restore harmony?
Replacing an employee is very costly (1 - 2 times their annual salary), time-consuming, has an uncertain outcome and is fraught with other potential negative consequences for the organization.
Alternatively, companies may attempt to address the problem with a one-size-fits-all training program that falls short of addressing the specific and unique needs of the individuals.
People can and do change their behavior for the better!
Behavior is rooted in the brain. Neuroscience has proven the brain changes, adapts and evolves. We can intervene in the change process with techniques to influence better outcomes. All that’s needed is the motivation, commitment, knowledge and support to make it happen!
So why not take the coaching route first? It’s much less costly than termination, and shows employees you’re invested in their growth and development.
Any disruptive or challenging behavior has underlying causes rooted in the brain. The behavior is a stress/survival response to those causes which have been reinforced into a pattern over time through repetition. It is likely now a habitual response when triggered.
Behaviors and habits can be broken or replaced with healthier ones by working with the brain’s natural ability to change. The brain is going to change anyway, so why not involve ourselves intentionally into the change process to make changes beneficial to us and those around us?
This is where I can help!
But I also understand how certain behaviors— abrasiveness, aggressiveness, impatience, insensitivity, lack of empathy, poor communication, intimidation, grandiosity and many others — create friction in the workplace.
I’ve been there. In my career and in my personal life, I regretfully exhibited a number of these behaviors, which affected my relationships with others. In addition, I had unhealthy ways of coping with stress and anxiety (caused by a number of underlying factors, some dating back to childhood) — including what ultimately became an addiction to pain pills and alcohol.
After hitting bottom in 2013, I underwent a profound life transformation, coming to terms that I needed to change at a core level. I set about building a new version of myself, which included learning how change occurs in the brain, and then taking every necessary step to develop it in myself. Having made major psychological and behavioral changes myself, I know what it takes to make it happen in others.
Working professionals and leaders who struggle with behavioral challenges need more than theory; they need someone who understands how to make change happen in the brain and relates to their journey.
I offer a powerful combination of relatability, empathy, neuroscience-based knowledge of psychological and behavioral change, a compassionate and direct coaching style, and decades of business and life experience to inspire trust and drive transformation. Together, we can turn challenges into opportunities for growth and development—building stronger managers, leaders and workplaces.
- George Haymaker III
Why me? Neuroscience coach + psychoeducator + former entrepreneur and CEO + guy who underwent his own behavior changes.
I am a certified Neuroscience Coach + Psychoeducator, and a trusted partner for HR leaders seeking meaningful, cost-effective solutions to sensitive workplace behavioral challenges.
I work with HR management as a change agent, providing neuroscience-driven coaching and psychoeducational support for managers and executives whose behaviors impact team dynamics and organizational culture.
Beyond certifications and training, I bring a lived experience that sets me apart—because I’ve “walked the talk” (see My Story). For three decades, I led small to medium-sized companies as an entrepreneur and CEO, wearing every business hat and navigating the relentless pressure to perform. I know firsthand the challenges your managers and leaders face.
The High Cost of Manager Turnover
Terminating a manager can cost an organization upwards of 2 times that individual’s annual salary.* This is made up of direct and indirect costs, including:
Severance Pay
Recruitment and onboarding of a replacement
Training costs for the new hire
Increased errors, both internally and externally
Lost productivity
Lost revenue and customer service issues
Loss of institutional knowledge
Loss of customer relationships
Potential legal costs
Decreased employee morale and cultural disruptions
The Uncertainty - will the replacement also have behavioral issues?
“As the HR director, I often find myself in a crucial mediating role, facilitating conversations between the disruptive manager and affected employees to understand the extent of the disruption and gather perspectives. This process is delicate, as it requires balancing support for those impacted while addressing the underlying issues facing the manager. I’m not equipped to understand the manager’s issues and how to help them transform themselves.
From a business standpoint, the ripple effect of disruptive behavior often results in increased turnover rates. We may lose valuable team members who seek a healthier work environment, leading to recruitment costs and the loss of productivity and institutional knowledge. Customer service suffers. The financial implications of high turnover can be staggering, with estimates suggesting that the costs can equal one to two times the departing employee’s salary.”
What’s behind challenging or disruptive behavior?
There is always an underlying reason or reasons why someone behaves in a certain way. Individuals who disrupt with their behaviors or possess challenging personalities developed these traits and patterns by way of their genetics and in response to their environments and past experiences. Their nervous systems are typically in a state of constant arousal and their brains often perceive threats where there aren’t any.
Causes include mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, developmental disorders like ADHD, dysfunctional upbringings, traumas, unmet psychological needs, lack of social skills or social phobias, brain chemistry, and others.
When we repeat behaviors often enough, we create habits out of them. Habits are represented in the brain as neural pathways comprised of series of connected neurons that formed as we repeated the same behavior over and over again. So, if someone has an unwanted behavior that keeps resurfacing, it’s because they have practiced (unintentionally hopefully!) that behavior often enough that it became a habitual response to when they most likely felt threatened.
Here’s the good news though! The brain is “plastic” meaning it can change and adapt. It’s called neuroplasticity. Habits can be broken, behaviors can change, new habits can be formed. The way we experience emotions, how we perceive things, and even what we think in certain situations can all change. This due to our brains almost magical ability to change itself and evolve in pursuit of its primary function, which is to make sure we survive as a species.
If you are believer in people can “change their colors”, then congratulations, you are not only hopeful, but you are also correct! It boils down to having the motivation and commitment to change, and then undergoing a process by which old unwanted ways of being are replaced by new, more helpful ways. The key is to understand and work with the brain’s natural capabilities and functionality over a long enough period of time to implement the desired changes, and reinforce them to become ingrained and automatic.
How best to help your managers and executives who struggle with their behavior? For a small fraction of the cost of terminating their employment, a skilled neuroscience coach like myself, who has the qualifications to educate and take someone through the transformational change process, can work with your manager to unpack the root causes of their unwanted behavior and design a strategy for sustainable change.
Your company is seen by the employees as compassionate and concerned about employee welfare!
Get in touch with me to discuss any behavioral concerns you have in your organization!
Sober Companionship
A sober companion is a confidential, dedicated partner in your journey to sobriety, offering guidance, support, and practical strategies to help you achieve or maintain recovery.
For corporate executives, this means having a trusted ally by your side during business days, social events, business travel, weekends, or other professional commitments, helping you stay grounded and focused on your sobriety goals.