This may seem like a strange article to place on a trader’s website, but they say that variety is an essential ingredient in any successful blog, and
this is certainly a business related issue, which incidentally was inspired by
an article in the Harvard Business Review.
Leadership by its very nature often involves strong
personality characteristics. Leaders usually stand out because of a number of
factors including their impartiality, commitment, dedication, decision making
ability, and often empathy. Some leadership characteristics are described as
coming from the dark side because in their extremes they can be damaging. On
the other hand small doses can be beneficial and we should say up front that
some degree of the following characteristics probably exist in all of us and
they are not necessarily inhibitors to a successful work or personal life.
Psychopathy is related to individuals who are generally more
dishonest, ego driven, unemotional, and poorly considerate of others. They may
make poorly considered business decisions as well.
Machiavellianism is described as "the employment of cunning and
duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct". For these
people the end justifies the means and how you get the result is less important
than the result itself. Machiavellians may display superficial charm and be
quite manipulative in interpersonal relationships but will often detach
themselves from conventional morality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism
Narcissism is described as “an exceptional interest in and
admiration for yourself”. Narcissists will have an inflated – though often
unstable and insecure – sense of self worth which may make it harder for them
to focus on others. The term comes from Greek mythology where a youth, Narcissus, fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.
Now before you get all depressed about the inhumanity of
these traits it should be emphasised that understanding them can be very useful
in analysing business (and personal) performance. Much has been written about
how Steve Jobs became a much better manager when he learned how to control his
narcissistic tendencies. Understanding how and why people react in given
situations helps can only help to maximise our performance.
How far do these traits show up in my personality? Well, I
am going to look in the mirror – oops, no, that is a dead giveaway. Maybe I’ll
just wait on my colleagues to tap me on the shoulder and tell me.