In the latest Leadership Focus article, Simon Nash, Group Managing Director of Law at Work, explores the practical challenges of managing ‘dark’ traits in leadership.
He highlights how organisations can spot, respond to, and avoid promoting individuals who display patterns of narcissism, Machiavellianism, or sociopathy.
One of the parts of my job that I love most is leadership assessment.
For one client the leadership assessment task was to assess the top sixty leaders in the organisation across several jurisdictions. The usual brief: spot a few un noticed high flyers; identify any square pegs in round holes; see the warning flags of any leaders who were out of their depth; and prepare some reports for personal development and organisational change work.
Spotting hidden stars – and red flags
So I assembled a team and recommended package of assessment activities and instruments to the client’s board.
So far, so what? But this engagement was pretty special, we found someone three levels down who was absolutely off the charts in terms of leadership potential. Imagine my delight over the following years to hear she was promoted over and over again to CEO of the business! You can imagine the traits and strengths we discovered in her were pretty much in line with what I have been writing about in the last few articles about leadership. Its great to see good theory lived out as excellent leadership practices.
That gig sticks in my mind for another reason too, and that is the reason for today’s leadership reflection. There was another participant in the assessment who I remember very clearly. My advice to my client’s board was this: “The instruments we have selected with you for this short exercise were not calibrated to diagnose sociopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism. But if we had deployed those tools we’re pretty sure he would show red flags in all three.”
Understanding the Dark Triad
These three traits have become known as the ‘Dark Triad’, a term coined by Paulhus and Williams in their 2002 book of the same name. According to them, if these personality traits are found together in a leader that can be really bad news for your business. This short article does not have the space for a full description of the specific identifiers associated with each of these, but we all recognise the collection of traits, attitudes and behaviours that make them up. Sociopathy is about being uncaring or unkind, lacking in empathy and indifferent towards moral norms. Essentially treating living humans as things. We’ll just refer to it as uncaring from here on.
Narcissism is about being self-centred; excessively preoccupied with one’s own needs at the expense of others; sometimes, but not always, expressed as grandiosity or superiority. Essentially treating equal humans as inferiors. We’ll refer to it as selfishness in this article.
Machiavellianism, named after the sixteenth century writings of Niccolo Machiavelli, is all about manipulativeness; calculating self-interest; and coercion. Essentially treating subjective human beings as objects. We’ll just refer to it as manipulative.
In all three there is a double process of dehumanisation. In order to treat the other as less than human, the uncaring, selfish or manipulative person has to first dehumanise themselves. By rejecting that part of them, that part of all of us, which cares; which puts others first; which attends to other people’s needs alongside our own.
Our rather strange way of doing life and business in the West for the past couple of hundred years has turned some of these vices into modern virtues. Being ‘business-like’ they say.
‘Taking tough decisions’, you might have heard. Having a ‘responsibility’ or a sense of ‘duty’ to a non-human entity rather than to real human beings. More of this later…
What can organisations do?
But this is a practical article about leadership. So, let’s think about three questions I get asked all the time. First, what should we do with people in our businesses who are really good at their jobs, but seem to display these Dark Triad traits? Second, what should you do if you are currently managed by someone who is uncaring, selfish and manipulative? Third, if you are a leader yourself, what can you do to become more caring, less selfish and to resist the temptations to use people to get your own way?
So starting at the systemic level. How should we deal with uncaring, selfish and manipulative people in our business?
Well as my HR colleagues will echo, you should be very careful not to promote them to positions of authority and explicit power over people. Internal selection for promotion and external selection for senior roles is a tricky process to get right, but fortunately now the science of selection has come on in leaps and bounds. Be very careful not be deceived by the fine sounding words of the Machiavellian, or the impressive focus on results of the sociopath, nor the charming nature of the narcissist. They have learned to climb the corporate ladder very effectively so use validated selection techniques with independent trained assessors to reduce business risk. If you have already put someone with a dark personality into a position of authority then watch very closely for signs of the toxic harm they will bring to the relationships and wellbeing of those closest to them. And do not delay action just because they are good at sales or their quarterly numbers look impressive.
Moving to the relational aspect. What about the situation of finding yourself working for a sociopath? Or a narcissist. Well recognising it is the first thing. Then confide in someone else to confirm your instincts. Maintain clear boundaries about what is, and is not OK, for you. You might want to speak to your own HR team. Regrettably, the keeping of an evidence log, though distressing, can become invaluable when the situation is formally dealt with.
Ultimately you may need to recognise that operating in the sphere of control of a Machiavellian, uncaring and selfish person is not good for you. Its not good for your health and its not good for your career. Many people stay in toxic situations far longer than is good for them, and only afterwards realise they could have started a new role so much quicker.
Leading with humanity
And finally, the personal dimension. How can you as a leader become more caring, not less? How can you become less selfish, not more? And how can you use influence rather than control to help your people achieve great things together? Well this is where the practices of reflective development come to the fore. You might use journaling for self-reflection, or a conversational practice with a coach. You could use mindfulness or Metta meditation or contemplative practices. You could elicit 360 degree feedback about your impact on others.
I’d like to add in two further practices that make all the difference.
Firstly, a lot of people report that spending quality time in nature helps them to become a little more human when they come back into social interaction. The other one is to curate your algorithmic feed. If you are letting your brain be cascaded with repeated images of power, control, dominance and even violence it can’t help but normalise the instrumentalisation of human beings. You can instead substitute a cultural feed of novels, plays, poems and visual arts that celebrate humanity and let that shape your thinking and feeling. It’s a lifetime’s work, but it might be the most important thing you do.
So leadership is all about the positive virtues we have discussed in previous articles, but a vital part of organisational life is recognising the darker side of human personality. Taking action for the good of the whole business could be the thing you need to do right now.
Simon Nash is an experienced leader, speaker, and writer with over 30 years dedicated to examining the intersection of people and ethics in the workplace. Renowned for his innovative and disruptive perspectives on the dynamics of people and work, Simon has garnered numerous accolades throughout his career. His approach blends deep ethical considerations with practical strategies, enabling businesses to address growth challenges effectively and sustainably.
One way Simon fosters leadership growth is through board offsites, as they provide leaders with the opportunity to step away from the daily tasks and engage in open dialogue. This environment promotes the exchange of ideas, enhances coaching relationships, and underscores the organisation’s commitment to developing its leaders.
Law At Work plays an essential role in providing expert guidance to businesses, particularly in areas such as leadership development, coaching and mentoring, and organisational culture. With a focus on clear, commercial advice, Law At Work’s multidisciplinary team has extensive experience in all areas of people, safety, data, and leadership development, enabling businesses to propel forward.
