5 ms·
"It turns out CEOs are way more likely to be psychopaths than any other job title... About 1% of the human population are psychopaths. But CEOs are four times m
by whack 10y ago
"It turns out CEOs are way more likely to be psychopaths than any other job title... About 1% of the human population are psychopaths. But CEOs are four times more likely to be psychopaths than the average person"
The article is perfect anecdotal illustration of this.
It's kind of sad that we've built a business environment where being a psychopath actively helps, not hurts, your climb to the top.
http://thehustle.co/your-ceo-is-probably-a-psychopath http://thehustle.co/your-ceo-is-probably-a-psychopath
- noobermin 10y agofour times more likely So 4%?
- ChrisClark 10y agoYes.
- namelezz 10y agoNo 400%.
- mirimir 10y agoNo, 5%. It'd be 4% if it were "four times as likely".
- tedunangst 10y agoI suspect "as" and "more" frequently get lost in translation.
- mirimir 10y agoIt does seem so: From http://thehustle.co/your-ceo-is-probably-a-psychopath http://thehustle.co/your-ceo-is-probably-a-psychopath > FACT: 4% of CEOs are psychopaths > About 1% of the human population are psychopaths. But CEOs are four times more likely to be psychopaths than the average person, according to journalist Jon Ronson. He spent two years researching this, and published a book titled “The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry.” So the cited article suffers from the same ambiguity. I wonder what Jon Ronson actually wrote. Google was not helpful :(
- tedunangst 10y agoYeah... I'm not sure 4% counts as "probably" either. I would not be surprised to discover other inaccuracies.
- mirimir 10y agoThe book was not well received by mental health professionals ;)
- thisisbad 10y agoPsychopaths are very useful. Surgeons, butchers, salespeople etc. are more likely to be psychopaths. You don't want a surgeon to have empathy when he's cutting your leg off. You don't want a butcher to have empathy for animals. You don't want a salesperson to care about rejections. You don't want a CEO to be reluctant about laying people off.
- bootload 10y agoThis is a good observation. Where the behaviour becomes toxic is where the line is drawn. The surgeon who decides one patient isn't worthy of attention, the butcher who needlessly injures animals, the salesperson who defrauds sales figures.
- solipsism 10y agoMaybe YOU don't want a CEO to be reluctant about laying people off. I like working in places where my humanity has some value, even if it's not the most important thing. Maybe YOU don't want a surgeon who won't nick an artery if she thinks she can get away with it, because death has a strange appeal to her, but I like living. It's a bit hyperbolic, but so's your statement. We don't need psychopaths, we need people who can keep their emotions in check. Training, exercise, mediation, and drugs are all useful tools for this.
- nstj 10y agoWithout wanting to drift OT, the capitalisation of YOU doesn't really seem all that necessary here.
- Chinjut 10y agoI, uh, totally want my surgeon to have empathy when he or she is cutting my leg off.
- erklik 10y agoAnd then your leg gets cut off at the wrong angle since his hands are not under his control due to emotional connection. or He doesn't cut it off and then your diseases or issue spreads and your whole body gets paralysed.