15 Signs You Work with a • Dark Triad: Machiavellian, Narcissist,

Narcissist, Machiavellian, or Psychopath

Psychopath • Narcissist: Sense of entitlement, attention and
admiration seekers. Arrogant and consider
themselves superior.
• Machiavellians: Sly, deceptive, distrusting and
manipulative. Strive for money, power, use
cunning influence tactics. Fun fact: Machiavelli is
an actual person from the Renaissance period.
Italian politician and diplomat.
• Psychopaths: Inconsiderate of others and don’t
have any moral boundaries. By creating chaos in
the organization, as well as in coworkers’
personal lives, they can pursue personal agendas
without detection. Sadist who bully people to
follow them. Considered most malevolent of the
Dark Triad.
• This article mainly focuses on behavior of the
followers of Dark Triad leaders.
• Narcissists want to become leaders because they
feel entitled to these positions, and they want to
be admired. Psychopaths want leadership
positions because they want more leeway to do
what they want. Machiavellians will choose
positions to best suit their own needs and goals.
• Dark Triad people “may behave quite differently
to their followers and to their peers than they
behave toward their leaders.”
• 15 traits of Dark Triad people
o Over-claiming, or falsely taking credit for,
contributions to the organization. (narcissism)
o Actively promoting themselves. (narcissism,
Machiavellianism)
o Being aggressive after negative feedback and
criticizing the source of
feedback. (narcissism)
o Treating valued members of the organization
(trophy colleagues) differently than those who
do not boost their egos. (narcissism)
o Demonstrating a selfish perspective with a
“choose your battles” mind-
set. (Machiavellianism)
o Trying to control or minimize other people’s
influence. (narcissism, Machiavellianism,
psychopathy)

A Boss’s Bad Night’s Sleep • Basically this article says that when a manager does not
Can Hurt the Bottom Line
• Research shows that when supervisors are verbally
• But that ability to exert self-control suffers when we
• Work engagement is related to leadership to the extent
o Not sharing knowledge with
colleagues. (Machiavellianism)
o Using manipulation to reach strategic
goals. (Machiavellianism, psychopathy)
o Scheming for personal benefit without
considering consequences for
others. (narcissism, Machiavellianism,
psychopathy)
o Competing rather than
cooperating. (Machiavellianism, psychopathy)
o Making quick, short-term focused decisions
without considering consequences for
others. (psychopathy)
o Making bold, risky decisions without regard
to organizational rules or ethics. (narcissism,
psychopathy)
o Questioning authority figures, rules, and the
status quo. (psychopathy)
o Bullying or criticizing coworkers to focus on
interpersonal relationships instead of tasks at
hand. (psychopathy)
o Luring coworkers into wild behaviors or
seducing coworkers or supervisors into
romantic relationships. (Machiavellianism,
psychopathy)
• Identifying people with Dark Triad personalities
is important for an organization so that you can
manage them well and limit the potential damage
their personality can have to the organization. If
Dark Triad people get into positions where they
can exert more influence on others and the
organization, it can be very harmful. It is
advisable to not promote or hire such people if
possible.
sleep well, his/her decision making and interaction with
people is compromised. This results in poor work
engagement of his/her subordinates and negatively
impacts the organization’s business.
abusive, “subordinates will tend to withdraw from work
and not engage fully in their work environment,”
don’t get the sleep that we need.
that effective leaders help subordinates to view their
 work as meaningful and valuable, and to attach their
identities to the work itself
• But managers’ lack of sleep can result in “abusive
supervision,” which the researchers define as “the
sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal
behavior, excluding physical contact.” Abusive
supervision “has pervasive and negative effects on
employees, their work outcomes, and organizations.”
• In addition, “leaders should thus be aware of their own
abusive triggers. For example, they can attempt to
delay important interactions or decisions on days when
they have had a poor night of sleep the night before.
• Organizations should take note of how sleep impacts
work behavior and ensure that managers get good
sleep.
• If you want to be a good leader who treats people well
and gets good outcomes from your work group, get a
good night of sleep. Your subordinates will be glad that
you did.