2023-04-27 22:00:00
A criminologist reveals why narcissistic or even psychopathic personalities are often to be found in management positions.
They’re quite charming, intelligent, they don’t act particularly conspicuously, they work in the background – and that’s exactly why they’re so dangerous: psychopaths who hold key positions.
Elon Musk might be an example
The Tesla boss and visionary doesn’t always strike the right balance between daring decisions and megalomania. His methods are hyped or hated, his behavior towards the team is always more than questionable and clearly visible to the public. But not only at Tesla is there a man at the front whose personality polarizes. “Yes, there are psychopaths in the management level – quite often in fact,” confirms Patricia Staniek. She is a profiler and criminologist in Vienna, she works inside and outside of Austria. And she warns: “There are people with psychopathic parts and there are actual psychopathic personality disorders. The assignment of the term is the responsibility of experts – but recognizing indications of this style in everyday working life is instructive for all of us.”
Psychopathic behavior on the part of leaders can do massive harm but can also be beneficial
The analyst, who studies human behavior intensively and can draw conclusions from the smallest movement in the face, adds: “These decision-makers tick very differently than most of us. They violate social rules, feel little sympathy or remorse and manipulate others, to get to their goals. But having people like that in the company isn’t always a disadvantage.” Psychopathic behavior is used, for example, when decisions have to be made in a dangerous situation or under enormous pressure. When huge budgets play a role or umpteen jobs are at stake. “
Psychopaths take great risks and make decisions that no one else would make, and the results of which we marvel at. They lack the fear area in the limbic system and so they act the way they act.”
On the other hand, such behavior can also cause massive damage and profoundly affect teams; Psychopaths sometimes enjoy the humiliation of other people, are utility and power-oriented and sometimes see the people around them as objects. “The good measure in the right place is crucial. In general, sectors in which risks are regularly to be taken tear for this type.”
True alphas can lead their group to success
Patricia Staniek doesn’t just examine people and their behavior. Some time ago she approached a group in Ernstbrunn, Lower Austria, where the hierarchy is crystal clear. “I’ve had a fascination for wolves since I was a child,” says the Viennese woman, explaining what she noticed when she approached the cordoned-off area: “The alpha wolves, always males, adopt a cool attitude. Nothing escapes them.” Wolves are basically cooperative – that’s why the profiler dares to compare the highest position in a wolf pack and the managerial level in a company. Right from the start, she rules out the fact that managers can quite naturally, without appreciable appreciation and in a tour, demand the greatest commitment from their employees. Supposed alpha behavior and exaggerated dominance are absolutely inappropriate, the be-all and end-all is being on an equal footing with the team when it comes to assignments and decisions. True alphas would have the power to lead their group to success. In business, this can be an order from new customers, with wolves, food is the focus of interest.
A healthy amount of narcissism is often necessary for survival in business
In conversations with her clients, Staniek realizes that they not only struggle with the behavior of psychopaths, but also with that of narcissists. For her, psychopathy is the “chameleon among personality disorders”, while narcissism can be unmasked comparatively easily by openly flaunting grandiosity and a lack of critical ability.
In a number of industries, the question is no longer who is a narcissist – but who is not. A healthy measure of this quality is necessary for survival in business; an excess, on the other hand, is usually a real stress factor for the environment. Staniek: “These people are usually very eloquent. They manage to take others with them on the journey and present themselves and the company in the best possible way, both internally and externally.” The toxic narcissist manages to harness people and spread enormous pressure and fear. He considers himself the measure of all things. “He sees himself at the top and is the best.”
What strategy does the team have?
“Never associate with psychopaths and be as uninteresting as possible for this type,” says the analyst. For narcissists, the most important thing in the professional context is: “Seek help and accept it.”
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