You probably know a hypomanic person or two. You know the type: They’re flaming with energy, gushing with ideas, flashing with creativity, charging ahead while others are still getting their ducks in a row.

They get a lot done. But they also get into trouble. Is it worth it — a thousand ideas, half of which are bombs, many of which evaporate in the heat of others, but one of which is worth the hypomanic person’s weight in gilded platinum with sugar on top?

To the good manager, yes, a person with hypomania is a valuable member of the team. But to manage the hypomanic person, you need to understand what you’re dealing with and how his or her energy can be harnessed for the general good.

Let’s look at the words “hypo” and “manic.”

People in a manic state, as defined by psychiatry, may well need hospitalization. They are out of control, possibly a danger to themselves and others. They swing from wildly driven to paralytically depressed. It’s a serious illness.

Hypo means “less” or “under.” The hypomanic person may have mood swings, but he or she stays within reason. On the upside, the individual is optimistic, sure of success, obsessed with accomplishment and tapping into extraordinary mental powers that pull together intricate plans that other people often just don’t get.

According to Dr. John Gartner, a clinical psychologist, America is rich in people with hypomania. They come here as immigrants who are full of ideas and initiative. They have children and pass on their genes. Consequently, this country leads the world in hypomanic people. Which, Gartner says, explains why we lead the world in entrepreneurs.

A hypomanic staff member will bless your firm with ideas, enthusiasm and energy. One hypomanic person may equal two or three more staid staffers.

A hypomanic client may well be one of those entrepreneurs who thinks big and gets big. And because details are of less importance to him or her than the Big Idea, that client probably needs a good accountant.

But be careful. Hypomanic people need a fair amount of supervision. Often, their energy needs restraint. Their ideas need tempering. Their fast talk needs slow thought. Their euphoria needs a reality check.

Look for the signs and symptoms:

• Their energy seems boundless.
• They’d rather work than sleep.
• They’re very ambitious.
• They can’t understand why others don’t get the Big Idea.
• They talk fast, move fast, work fast, decide fast.
• They’re confident, euphoric, gregarious, witty.
• They don’t see risks as risky.
• They crash, get depressed, lose self-esteem, and become lethargic ... but not for long.

So what do you do with a hypomanic staffer?

Be careful. Be smart. You probably don’t want this person on an unlimited expense account, investing big money, ruling the roost or alone with your spouse in an elevator.

But you do want to give them enough freedom to generate ideas, pull together plans and devote tons of time to reaching their objectives. Let them infect your office with enthusiasm. Let them think what’s never been thought and do what can’t be done.

Guiding them is as tricky as driving a Formula 1 Ferrari. They don’t like obstacles. They can’t wait for arthritic minds like yours and mine to mull things over, ruminate the ramifications, dote on all the details, assess the risks and weigh the alternatives.

But they might respond to discrete advice. If they go charging off in the wrong direction, don’t just say “no.” Say something like, “Good idea, but how can we get the client on board and keep the bank happy?” They’ll probably find a way … and it might be something that you never thought of.

And, as I said, be careful. The entrepreneur crackling with energy may well go 100 mph over the edge of a cliff. Don’t get dragged along. For example, your staff member who’s supposed to be doing marketing may have a great idea for branching into fast food, but it’s up to you to recognize that, brilliant though the idea is, it just isn’t right for an audit firm. But consider yourself lucky to be dealing with a person with hypomania. They are jewels — rare, valuable and cutting-edge. But you’d better have a grip on a cast-iron anchor so they don’t sweep you away with their enthusiasm.

COMMENTS: Questions, rants or raves? Write Rick Telberg.

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