Psychopathic Bosses: Is This the Way to Get Ahead in Industry?

[Kenneth Mann]

Is this the way to get ahead in industry?

Fast Company Magazine

KM

 

[arildno]

OF COURSE they're bloody psychopaths!
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get us slouchers off our behinds and actually deserve a salary.

 

[Nerro]

We NEED psychopaths of that kind to lead us. Sometimes people need to be ruthless and we need leaders. (well... You do :P)

 

[Kenneth Mann]

OF COURSE they're bloody psychopaths!
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get us slouchers off our behinds and actually deserve a salary.

We NEED psychopaths of that kind to lead us. Sometimes people need to be ruthless and we need leaders. (well... You do :P)

It appears that you guys didn't read the article. By Psychopath, it is not referring to hard-driving, no-nonsense types with big egos, but with real psychos. Those people don't care one whit about the company, but rather with themselves only. They'll drive a company to ruin to enrich themselves. In fact, they usually get a thrill from the challenge of their actions. The article compares these with serial killers in many ways, for example, they are great con-men. The have the knack of being able to talk and charm their way into peoples confidence; to get peoples trust, while having none in return (like J. Dahmer). Is that what you advocate? Examples given were Bernard Ebbers (Worldcom) and Andrew Fastow (Enron). What the article brought to my mind was Hitler.

KM

 

[arildno]

Jeffrey Dahmer was a sociopath, rather than a psychopath. He was not particularly charming in his outward demeanor, and quite uncharming in his private life.


And yes, I do get your point. Since any sort of societal mechanism of weeding out unpalatable executives is regarded by a wide majority as morally unjustifiable to put into action, these disgusting individuals will still get the positions they want in order to pester and harass the lives of decent folk.