Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

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Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work". Psychology Today. 39 (5): 36. September 2006 . Retrieved February 27, 2017. [ dead link] Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work is a 2006 non-fiction book by industrial psychologist Paul Babiak and criminal psychologist Robert D. Hare. The book describes how a workplace psychopath can take power in a business using manipulation.

The authors provide a good mix of short vignettes, research and a running end-to-end story about the 11 month journey of one psychopath from his hiring to his promotion into the job of the boss he ousted. Although it is practically impossible to protect yourself from a smooth talking, charming psychopath once targeted, the authors explain why and how our current fast paced and constantly changing business environment is the ideal setting for these modern day con-men. Not only does our modern concept of business with its constant re-invention provide jungle like cover for these predators, the less clearly defined skills of leadership, such as strategic thinking, self-confidence, bias towards action and good communication, tailor fit these chameleon-like masters of manipulation. However, a word of caution: readers should not jump to conclusions about themselves or someone else being a psychopath based on these criteria, as only qualified professionals can make such diagnoses, and even perfectly normal people may exhibit several of these traits. We’ll follow Dave and others through this book, and explore what makes them so attractive, yet so potentially damaging to an organization. We’ll describe how they get in and how they move up the organization into positions of increasing power and influence, where the damage they can do to the organization and its members can be significant. We’ll then offer suggestions to employees and coworkers who might be potential targets, and to managers and executives on how to secure the organization from unscrupulous manipulation.Helen did very well in the exploratory interview with the search committee. Her dynamic and engaging manner and her self-proclaimed ability to fix organizational problems—which the division certainly had—made her an obvious choice for the spot. Outside analysts would also see the appointment of such an assertive, vibrant, and directive person to a failing high-profile division as a very firm commitment to meeting the government’s regulatory requirements. Her style and her manner matched what both the corporation and analysts wanted to see. The timing, the circumstances, and her abilities seemed like a good fit.

Don't bother with people who keep on pushing your buttons, and try to be aware of when they are being pushed. This person was the most destructive during a time where I felt particularly low, but they never stopped talking about the person that I had issues with (like how that person was so obsessed with them and was pestering her about when they'd date while claiming he was monogamous and dating another person). Unfortunately, you might be blind to it until it's too late, but don't be afraid of setting boundaries and if they ignore them, don't be afraid to cut them out. Kerr insinuates that one of the factors that might lead psychopaths and sociopaths to be successful, particularly in the corporate world, may just be their immunity to emotional distress, or “emotional bulletproofing”. These traits paint a compelling picture of remorseless, impulsive predators who take what they want and care little for the rules of society.Dumb psychopaths go to prison, smart psychopaths go to the executive floor". That's the premise of this interesting book that analyses how psychopaths manage to be successful in corporate environments or in specific industries. According to the author, psychopaths are 4 times more frequent among managers than among the general population.The book offers many great insights, and although inevitably, when specific examples were mentioned, I did sometimes wonder whether impression management or high-energy office banter might label me a psychopath (don't read this if you have psychological hypochondria), the author makes clear that true psychopaths display an entire range of behaviours with underneath a chilling emotional shallowness.The pace slows down a bit here and there when the author provides specific HR advice for people dealing with psychopaths (when they're already part of the organisation), or trying to weed out psychopaths from job applicants.This book helped me realise that an old friend (now estranged), whose behaviour I'd always found strange and cruel, had many psychopathic tendencies, as did a former colleague whose destructive energy had previously baffled me (you know who you are :). If I'd read this book before, I'd have realised this sooner and I would have been better prepared to deal with their behaviour. But odds are I'll meet more psychopaths during the rest of my career, so unfortunately it will probably come in useful in the future. Read more In the same article, Isaacson writes: “I asked him again about his tendency to be rough on people. ‘Look at the results,’ he replied. ‘These are all smart people I work with, and any of them could get a top job at another place if they were truly feeling brutalised. But they don’t.’ Then he paused for a few moments and said, almost wistfully: ‘And we got some amazing things done’.” Manipulation involves the psychopath creating a scenario of " psychopathic fiction" where positive information about themselves and negative disinformation about others is created, where the role of others as a part of a network of pawns or patrons are used and groomed into accepting the psychopath's agenda. Once on to the confrontation stage, the psychopath uses techniques of character assassination to maintain their agenda, and others are either discarded as a pawn or used as a patron. Finally, in the ascension stage, the role of the subject as a patron in the psychopath’s quest for power is discarded, and the psychopath takes for themselves a position of power and prestige from anyone who once supported them. Research has also suggested that business has promoted psychopathic managers because of their ruthless willingness to ‘get the job done’… organisational psychopaths are frequently seen as being charming ‘organisational stars’ deserving of awards by those above them (while they subject those below them to intimidation, bullying, and coercion). Successful psychopaths are assumed to have the potential to transform a company’s organisational culture at their pleasing, which others must follow or else exit the company,” they add. Even though these traits may paint a picture of people who have no remorse and are impulsive, readers should not jump to conclusions about themselves or others being psychopaths based on this criteria. Only qualified professionals can diagnose someone as a psychopath, and even normal people may exhibit some of these traits. Big Idea #2: You are in danger