Everything In Its Right Place

One of the most popular lectures I give is on something called the Dark Triad. Which is a cluster of three, not great, personality traits: Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.

Narcissists tend to be concerned only with themselves, psychopaths are cold and incapable of feeling empathy, and Machiavellians are power hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.

People with these traits can create expensive and long lasting problems in your organization.

Sometimes you get a dark hat trick, and all three present in the same person, and sometimes you only get one or two. They also present in varying degrees of intensity.

The reason my Dark Triad talk is popular is because almost everyone has seen the havoc these folks can leave in their wake. And we all want effective strategies for identifying and dealing with problem people.

But one of the most counterintuitive things about this discussion is the potential value each of these traits may bring when we find the right spot for them (Radiohead said it well). For instance, a low-empathy surgeon may be able to focus more on the job at hand, and a performer who wants “All Eyez on Me” can be incredibly entertaining and impactful.

While we all exhibit these traits at some times, people with more extreme Dark Triad tendencies can do a lot of damage; especially when they have power over others. And they tend to seek power.

The Dark Triad problem for organizations therefore is less about individuals and more about systems. Sure it’s a good idea to identify and eliminate bullies in your organization, but it’s even better to keep them from gaining power in the first place.

Part of this problem goes back to how we think about leadership; from Logan Roy to Miranda Priestly (and the real people they are based on) our popular imagination is full of examples of people who are powerful seemingly because they are assholes, not in spite of it.

It’s almost like we equate the idea of leadership with the traits of the Dark Triad.

A friend of mine who works in venture capital said the other day that VC funds tend to look for people willing to do whatever it takes to be successful — including breaking the law. Sounds Machiavellian to me.

I see similar dynamics in almost all our institutions, from government to business to media and art. We tend to have systems in place that are at least vulnerable to bad people gaining power if not designed to select for it.

So how do we build positive leadership cultures in our companies?

Well, it starts by acknowledging that there may be good places for otherwise problematic people in our organizations, but it’s definitely not at the top.

Dark Triad folks tend to seek power and once they have it tend to wield it poorly. So here’s what I suggest we do:

1. Put processes in place to identify and remove uncaring or abusive people from power positions in our organizations.

2. Structure your leadership hiring and promotion to select for empathic, altruistic, and prosocial people.

This is easier said than done of course, but if you want to do some reading in this direction here are a few resources:

• Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, by Gautam Mukunda

• Light Triad vs Dark Triad, Psychology In Seattle Podcast

— Bob Gower

PS: If you’re ready to make your team or company even more effective, hit reply and let’s talk.

PPS: Check out my conversation with George Gromabacher on his great podcast Lifeblood on the elements of healthy value exchange within organizations.