A New Study Finds Leadership Often Attracts ‘Dark’ Personality Traits

We’ve all worked for different managers and leaders who have different styles and personalities—some friendly, some more strict, others with a teamwork mentality, a few with a dominant “get this done” attitude. Now a new study shines a spotlight on leadership traits and personality typesand it has some fascinating—if a little dark—implications for workers and leaders alike. It turns out that the word “Machiavellian” might apply to many people who are keen to lead.

The psychology researchers were examining what’s called the “dark triad,” a blend of three distinct personality traits: psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism. As Phys.org notes, these psychological patterns have long been linked to workers’ behavior at work and their preferences for how they lead other people. But what’s been lacking is detailed insight into how each of these traits can shape someone’s interest in pursuing particular types of career and their leadership style. As the report notes, it’s all about how these dark, or even aberrant personality traits (when viewed in the cold light of day, outside of the work environment) can “lead individuals to self-select into certain work environments, according to how each trait relates to status, power, and people.”

The discoveries were marked. The data, for example, suggests that people who have naturally “high levels of psychopathic traits” tend toward “solitary and practical work environments, likely due to their low motivation for social affiliation and interaction.” This isn’t the kind of psychopathy that you’ll see on a crime show like Dexterby the way—it’s just a tendency toward a less emotional, less empathetic way of interacting with others, being confident under pressure and perhaps natural leaders. Conversely, workers whose personality leans more toward narcissism often are attracted to “artistic and political pursuits as a form of personal aggrandizement.”

Meanwhile, and most interestingly from a business point of view, people with more Machiavellian personality traits tended to gravitate to leadership roles. Niccolo Machiavelli, in case you need reminding, was an Italian Renaissance-era diplomat and philosopher whose name has become linked with people who achieve success by deceiving, scheming, and via treachery.

Underlying all these conclusions is a “strong pull” toward roles where “persuasion and power” are important parameters, Phys.org notes. Fascinatingly the data showed no particular gender biases in these personality traits and career choices. As the report notes, this runs “contrary to traditional evolutionary accounts” about leadership traits, and may be because “women have become increasingly competitive and ambitious” over time, thanks to equality and diversity efforts, which may “shape their occupational interests in ways comparable to men.”

So far you may think this is all a mere curiosity. Or you may think “Aha! That explains why working for Steve from Accounts was so difficult.” But there are distinct lessons here for leaders and company management alike.

First, it reminds us that an awareness of leaders’ and potential leaders’ personality traits is very important when it comes to shaping leadership teams and choosing who to place in management positions. Mere success in achieving tasks is not a useful enough measure for assessing their fit in a role: if a particular manager achieves their goals by quietly and unfairly squeezing their direct reports, it could, for example, lead to higher burnout or staff turnover rates.

Second, it’s worth being aware that people who seem “natural” leaders may tend toward darker personality types. Some combinations of these traits can even be very harmful, as the new report notes. The most toxic mix is reportedly “leaders who combine psychopathic boldness or narcissistic self-enhancement with other malevolent traits” like meanness. They can appear “superficially charming,” but it can be risky to put them in important management roles because it can “become almost impossible to control them.” The report also suggests there’s a strong role for counseling inside organizations, to help people identify personal habits and mores that could be useful, or potentially harmful to their ambitions or even to other workers. As a previous piece of research notedsome radical leadership styles can actually lead to mediocre team performance.