While it is no longer considered a psychiatric terminology – having been lumped with psychopathy in modern texts – it is an uncomfortable truth that some of the most successful businessmen in the world display very prominent sociopathic tendencies. It isn’t necessarily a requirement, as some of the richest and most successful people in the world are also genuinely nice people, but it does seem to help. On the surface, while it can be hard to stomach, the traits most commonly ascribed to the sociopath look like they can be very helpful in business, particularly at the start.
One of the most well-known traits that appear in sociopaths is an inability to sympathize or empathize with other humans. They look at a person and fail to see another human being, seeing them more as an object or a tool to be manipulated and used for whatever end the sociopath has in mind. Ultimately, everyone is just something that can be replaced, even if some might be harder than others. This has its own uses in business. The people that work for an entrepreneur are not his friends and they can be replaced if need be, though a businessman with a lick of sense would realize constantly renewing his workforce is not a good idea.
The second trait that can make a sociopath highly successful in business is their natural knack for deception. Depending on how charismatic and convincing they are, they can be seen as bumbling liars or be mistaken for genuinely sincere friends. The talent for deception and ability to manipulate people in social settings plays well into the networking and wheeling-and-dealing that businessmen do. By using their social skills to supplement their business competencies, sociopathic entrepreneurs can rapidly build networks and connections that they can use to their advantage.
However, the most chilling trait of the sociopath is also the one that could potentially be the most likely to bring success in business. A sociopath is completely unconcerned with others and their efforts are ultimately directed towards their own benefit. When applied to a business setting, it means the man in charge is focused only on the betterment of his company and sees no point in engaging in the other “bells and whistles” of business, other than as means to further manipulate people around him. It doesn’t matter if it’s deciding to expand or not or if the business should get corporate housing Orlando; the only thing that matters is if they can get something out of it.
Sociopathy isn’t necessary to succeed in business. However, it can’t be denied that some of the best minds in the corporate world do display varying degrees of sociopathic traits. Sometimes, it can be a good idea to be so completely detached from emotions that a decision is made purely on gain-loss terms. Then again, there are also times when the logical choice is also the wrong one.