[January 26, 2025] Machiavellianism is a personality trait that we find common in U.S. military leaders. Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation, lack of empathy, and a calculated focus on self-interest. Higher degrees of this trait are associated with the likelihood that the person is calloused and unprincipled.
You’re probably thinking, “Yeah, I know what you mean because I had one of those bastards as my CO.” I won’t be surprised that most folks in the military or a high-pressure profession had a Machiavellian breathing down their neck at one point or another. These kinds of leaders possess what psychologists call conscientiousness: they are hard-working, reliable, and self-disciplined. They may also be workaholics, perfectionists, or compulsives.
Machiavellianism is one of the three Dark Triad traits, which are well-known because they are studied often. The other two are narcissism and psychopathy. These three are called the Dark Triad because each is seen as displaying malevolent qualities. Those strong in these traits are found to have a higher probability of committing crimes, causing social distress, and creating problems for organizations.
Machiavellians view interpersonal manipulation as the key to life success and behave accordingly. Individuals like this are also low in agreeableness, all very predictable. And it’s this that drives many to leadership positions. They are also low in agreeableness and perform best in challenging leadership positions. It should come as no surprise that military leaders are often Machiavellian types.
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy. Most militaries look for and weed these out early before they achieve high leadership rank. A narcissist in charge of a large organization can quickly cause serious and permanent damage if not stopped early. Some military leaders possess narcissistic attributes, but they are fewer than we might think.
The other Dark Triad type, Psychopathy, is far less likely to be in the military. This kind of person engages in antisocial behaviors, impulsivity, selfishness, and callous traits, which are not conducive to a military leader or membership. Loner types don’t fit in well in the highly social environment of the military.
In Part 2, I’ll discuss some examples of Machiavellian leaders I’ve had to butt heads with during my career. Regular readers may remember some. This follow-up article will be ready later this week.
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Gen. S. Wow, excellent. Look forward to the follow up ⬆️ article.
Very inspiring and insightful. Thank you, Gen. Satterfield. Making me think, and think hard.
According to Chaye McIntosh, M.S., LCADC, an addictions counselor and clinical director of outpatient services at ChoicePoint, Machiavellians are “deeply centered on cunningness, selfish behavior, manipulativeness, and indifference to morality.” She says that at their worst, Machiavellians are attracted to power, money, and control and would do anything to gain all three.
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/machiavellianism
When confronting a true Machiavellian, adjectives like devious, manipulative, selfish, and unscrupulous may come to mind just as easily as words like charming, ambitious, and inspiring.
This is exactly why Gen. Satterfield tells us that so many military leaders are Machiavellian types.
Wow, got that right. Describing my uncle to a tee. He was a 20-year Navy man.
INTERESTING
Machiavellianism types typically have:
Individuals are focused only on their own interests and ambition.
They seem confident and charming.
In order to get ahead, they will manipulate and exploit other people.
They are typically unaware of the consequences of their actions and behaviors.
When necessary, they will lie, cheat, and deceive.
Power and money matters more than relationships.
They tend to use flattery frequently.
There is a total lack of values or principles.
They have a cynical view of morality and goodness.
Empathy is either deficient or totally lacking.
To achieve their goals, they are capable of harming others or causing others harm.
Well, after reading this post, I can see I got the personality trait wrong. I had always thought these highly controlling bosses were narcissists and therefore only interested in themselves. But, from this I can see these “ Machiavellianism” types have a different view of the workplace.
I can see that too. Machiavellianism is a personality trait in modern psychology. A Machiavellian person has a duplicitous interpersonal style. He or she has a lack of empathy and a cynical disregard for morality. The individual focuses on personal gain and self.
“Machiavellianism in psychology refers to a personality trait which sees a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals.”
Machiavellianism in political theory or view that supports using any means necessary to maintain political power. Machiavellianism displays a pessimistic view of human nature and promotes unethical and opportunistic ways of manipulating a country’s population. The theory or philosophy is based on the beliefs of Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527).
I can see how that impacts us all in the place where we work.
Gen. Satterfield , it’s hard to even spell the word. Machiavellianism Is perhaps the least understood of the Dark Triad and why we are not as familiar with the concept. I look forward to the second part of this series. Thank you.