narcissist

The Dark Side of Leadership – Interview Manfred Kets de Vries

Dirk VerburgLeave a comment

Unfortunately, today, a single television news bulletin, or a glance at the front page of a newspaper, is enough to reveal the dark side of leadership.

However, many people do not need to switch on the TV or read the paper to witness this; instead, they experience the dark side of leadership every day within their own organizations. They happen to work for ‘Psychopath Lights’—or, as Manfred Kets de Vries calls them, ‘Seductive Operational Bullies’ (SOBs).

In the 36th episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I sit down with Manfred to explore his extensive research on this phenomenon. During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:

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Toxic Leadership – Does Your Leader Have A Dark Triad?

Dirk VerburgLeave a comment

‘Guys, I will always have your back’, she said when she became our leader … until she did not.

We all know the stories about how notorious dictators like Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussein, not only ruled their countries with an iron fist, but had an inner circle of followers that were on the one hand attracted to them and craving for their approval, and on the other hand continuously on their toes, out of fear of falling out of favor and being ‘purged’ as a result. A contemporary example of such a dictator is Kim Jong Un.

Nowadays, we would say these dictators had a ‘dark triad’. 

What Is The Dark Triad?

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