Psychopathy and leadership

Leanne ten BrinkePsychologist, director of the Truth and Trust Lab at the University of British Columbia, and author of Poisonous People

• Ten Brinke argued it is a lie that success requires looking out for number one and displaying dark traits.

  “one great lie we've all been told is that to be successful, you have to be in it for number one”

  The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Human Lie Detector: The #1 Sign They’re Lying To You, Catch Liars Instantly! | Dr Leanne ten Brinke (Sep 7, 2026) · Listen from 1:41:29

• Ten Brinke argued that narcissists seem like leaders because people confuse confidence with competence.

  “the thing that can make narcissism look good at the outset is our confusion of confidence and competence”

  The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Human Lie Detector: The #1 Sign They’re Lying To You, Catch Liars Instantly! | Dr Leanne ten Brinke (Sep 7, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:23

• Ten Brinke said her research with Dacher Keltner found psychopathy was linked to less government influence and lower hedge fund earnings.

  “consistently, we found that high levels of psychopathy was associated with less influence in government. It was also associated with making less money as a hedge fund manager”

  The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Human Lie Detector: The #1 Sign They’re Lying To You, Catch Liars Instantly! | Dr Leanne ten Brinke (Sep 7, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:12