090: Are There Psychopaths in Your Business?

Is it correct to assume that a large proportion of corporate leaders are psychopaths? It’s something many of us have heard anecdotally and in this episode, Andrea explores the most recent research that suggests that yes, many CEOs do indeed have a large proportion of psychopathic traits compared to the general population.

Andrea talks through further research he has found on the topic, the wider impact of these behaviours on the workplace, and what you can do to recognise and manage them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Varying research believes that around 12-20% of CEOs around the world could be psychopaths.
• People may not recognise psychopathic traits in a corporate setting but if it is pointed out that traits such as creating conflict, discouraging others and creating hostile work environments you can believe that there may be many more corporate psychopaths in the world.
• Many leaders show specific behaviours that are considered psychopathic traits but these traits can also be highly effective in business and commonly accepted or missed.
• Once you can recognise these traits, you need to be wary of them and be aware of the distinction between unhealthy behaviours and ones that have a deeper and more serious impact on individuals and businesses.

BEST BITS

“12% of senior leaders display, at some level, a range of psychopathic traits”

“If you are not yourself in a leadership position, the only thing you can do is be more mindful about how people behave and be clear if you want to work with people with these behaviours”

“There is a distinction between a normal behaviour, from behaviours that are acutally driven by something more, something that has a deeper impact on people and also on business and performance’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

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ABOUT THE HOST

My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.