Ruthlessly Caring by Amy Walters Cohen

Author:Amy Walters Cohen [Cohen, Amy Walters]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781394187041
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Machiavellian. In the sixteenth century, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote ‘The Prince’, describing strategies leaders could use to gain political power and prestige.28 Specifically, Machiavelli prescribed how while leaders should try to appear virtuous, acting virtuously can be detrimental, endorsing how leaders should instead do whatever is necessary to acquire and maintain power. His philosophy was based on the premise that while people admire honour, generosity, and courage, by nature people are self-interested, deceitful, and profit-driven; a worldview akin to the ‘dog-eat-dog’, ‘that's just business’, philosophy mentioned earlier. In psychology today, Machiavellianism refers to one of the Dark Triad personality traits, describing leaders who are focused on their own interests, are unprincipled, cynical, and willing to manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals.29

While a Machiavellian personality may sound very extreme and far removed from life in the C-suite, studies often find individuals with this personality trait at higher positions within organisations.30 Individuals high in Machiavellianism tend to do well in business. They desire status and control more and often apply softer manipulation tactics to get ahead, such as charm, exchanging favours, offering compliments, managing their physical appearance, joking with people, forming alliances, and compromising.31 The line between the charismatic and the Machiavellian leader is consequently a fine one, with charismatic leaders likely to possess Machiavellian tendencies when influencing others.32 On a more sinister note, leaders who are high in Machiavellianism are also more skilled at lying, tend to withhold important information from others (to minimise other people's power and influence), and find subtle ways to bully or undermine others. They pull the strings in the background. However, like a stealth hurricane, their tactics in pursuit of power leave a trail of destruction on other people's jobs, health, and home life. All actions justified in the belief that if the tables were turned, other people would do the same to them.

Staying future-fit top tip. Machiavellianism is a personality trait and, while certain aspects of personality can shift across our life-span, our traits are relatively stable across time and situations.33 Consequently, here we will not look at how to reduce trait levels of Machiavellianism but briefly outline one way to avoid slipping into Machiavellian tendencies. The secret: reflecting on what it is you are trying to control. Holding a position of power is associated with two forms of control: control over others and personal control. And it is the drive to control others that is most corrupting.34 Particularly if you perceive your senior leadership position to be unstable, you may find this drive to exert power and control over others amplifies – leading you to undervalue and objectify people, treating them as objects on a chess board to be manoeuvred and played to your advantage. What is much healthier for you (and those you lead) is to focus on power as a way to satisfy personal control; the innate need we all have for autonomy and influence over our own lives. By focusing on the control power grants you over your own

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