Some of the greatest leaders throughout history have been known equally for their successes and their personality quirks: Elon Musk, the entrepreneur people love to hate; Howard Hughes, the billionaire who was afraid of germs; Steve Jobs, the charismatic leader prone to temperamental outbursts.
While everyone has traits they aren’t 100 percent proud of, achieving a leadership status can shine a spotlight on the worst parts of our personalities, according to psychologists Darko Lovric and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.
“Success often strengthens the undesirable side of people’s personalities, perhaps because power lowers their motivation to positively manage their reputation. The more power and influence you have, the less interested you will be in pleasing other people and in keeping your dark side in check,” they write in an article for Harvard Business Review.
[ Working on your soft skills? Read also: Emotional intelligence test: Do your empathy skills need work? ]
Lovric and Chamorro-Premuzic identified four psychological factors that can help propel leaders to the top – but then take them down once they find success. Read this article to learn three things leaders can do to keep their dark side in the shadows.
