The Dark Triad: leadership qualities to be wary of

We all have a tendency to go over to the dark side at times; nobody is a saint. Sometimes when we are trying to gain more influence and power within our workplaces, we can become part of a bigger problem.

The Dark Triad is a theory about malevolent personality traits, first published by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002. People who exhibit them have detrimental impacts on others. Yet leadership advice sometimes actively encourages us to develop some of the traits of 'dark triad' leaders.

For example, are you only rewarded if you take credit for as much as possible and make yourself as visible as possible to influential people (narcissism)? Are you told to think of yourself as a brand and not a person, and to focus on how to manipulate others to get more power within your organisation (machiavellianism)? Are you encouraged to ignore the personal tribulations of team members if they get in the way of meeting deadlines and targets (psychopathy)?

I don't think the advice or behaviour above is always badly intended, but malevolent leaders are forged by the rules of success. So, pay attention to the person you and your colleagues are expected to be to succeed, then see if you (and your bosses) can agree on rewarding more benevolent traits instead.