Vampire and zombies are everywhere. It’s been a Summer and Fall full of supernatural events and television.. From True Blood to the Walking Dead, and to people showing zombie-like symptoms across the U.S., have you wondered if vampires and zombies lurked into your workplace?  Yes, I did write vampires and zombies. According to  Howard's Gift: Uncommon Wisdom to Inspire Your Life's Work, workers can be categorized into 4 different identities when it comes to workplace culture: stars, potentials, vampires, and zombies.

• Stars are the employees we all love — the ones who do the perform well while adhering to company values and culture.
• High potentials are those whose behavior we value — who do things the right way but whose skills need further training. These potentials, with the right support and training, can become stars.
• Zombies fail on both counts. Their behavior doesn't align with the cultural aspirations of the organization and their performance is almost non-existent. They are basically rotting wood at your company.
• Vampire are the real threat. These vampire employees perform well but in a manner that is deceiving and conniving.  Because their work performance is strong, they gain power and influence. Over time, they also acquire followers: the zombies who share their different set of values and aspire to perform better.  Soon, there's a small army of vampires and zombies attacking the stars, high potentials, and leaders who are doing the right thing.

If you aren't into vampire and zombie terminology, you can always go by  Baron Von Hammerstein Equord's, a German Officer in the 1930’s, methodology:

"I divide officers into four classes -- the clever, the lazy, the stupid, and the industrious. Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities. Those who are clever and industrious are fitted for the high staff appointments. Use can be made of those who are stupid and lazy. The man who is clever and lazy is fit for the very highest commands. He has the temperament and the requisite nerves to deal with all situations. But whoever is stupid and industrious must be removed immediately."

What do you think? Is your dealership full of vampires and zombies or do you have stars and potentials on your team?