The behaviour:
- Jerks are in every work place.
- Jerks get noticed.
- Brazen charm is often mistaken for intelligence.
- Dominant behaviour is mistaken as competence.
- "We think of these people as deserving even more status..."
- "...if you need to establish your position in the office, then glaring at people, maybe insulting them, maybe fighting are actually going to be quite constructive..."
The benefits:
- Better opportunities for promotions.
- More power and glory.
- Public adoration.
Dr. Maccoby finds that the most revered business leaders in the United States - Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Jack Welch, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos among them - are driven, above all, "by power and glory."
Narcissists can be "emotionally distant and highly distrustful," Dr. Maccoby says. "Perceived threats can trigger rage. Achievements can feed feelings of grandiosity."
The costs (to the jerk):
- Inability to build loyalty or inspire love from others.
- Open to being used by others who are there only to make money off them.
- When they make mistakes, they can fall hard - everyone wants to see the bad guys get their just desserts.
- Alienation from the very people whom they need to achieve their goals.
- Propensity to attract yes-men
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