Want to REALLY Succeed in Business? Become More of a Psychopath
An article over at CNBC.com is detailing something that many of you have likely suspected for a while now.
Namely, that super-successful person in your circle of friends���may well be a little psycho.
Like, really a psycho.
As the CNBC piece points out, psychopathy is a mental disorder that is inherited. While there are numerous characteristics of a psychopath, some of the better known include an elaborate perception of one���s self-worth; the constant craving for stimulation; impulsiveness; the masterful ability to manipulate; the ability to exude great charm; and an acute lack of any remorse.
Dr. Igor Galynker, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, says of psychopaths, ���We promote them, we elect them, and sometimes, a lot of people feel comfortable when people like that are in charge of our lives.���
Indeed.
According to Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, roughly 1 percent of the population are psychopaths, whereas about 4 percent of business leaders and CEOs are psychopaths.
Galynker says that those who are more empathetic in the workplace are at a distinct competitive disadvantage, because their tendency to care about others can negatively impact their ability to make decisions that may be best for the business���but not for the individuals. As he puts it, ���Empathy can interfere with you doing your job quite a bit. And in the competitive workplace, empathy is discouraged because it may interfere with what you need to do for work.���
So, is there anything a ���regular person��� can do to professionally achieve in at least somewhat the same way as their psychopathic counterparts?
���You want to be able to understand what character traits make people successful, whether psychopathic or not, and then you want to use them hopefully in a moral or ethical fashion, so you don't step on people in the process," says Galynker.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
