What happens when poor leadership behaviours are allowed to take hold – and how can organisations tackle them? Toxic leadership will be the focus of a keynote fireside chat at Make A Difference’s Leaders’ AGM on 19 October, where Kathleen Saxon and Clarke Carlisle will explore its impact on individuals, teams and workplace culture.
It’s a theme that also sits at the heart of this article from mediator and conflict specialist Jane Gunn, as she examines Machiavellianism in the workplace and how leaders can respond.
Do you know someone who is determined to climb the leadership ladder, regardless of who they have to step on to get there? Perhaps you’ve noticed someone who shows little empathy or compassion, or who is skilled at manipulating those around them. Machiavellianism describes a personality trait markedby cunning and manipulativeness, where self-interest trumps everything else. In the workplace, ordinary strategies don’t work with this complicated personality trait. These individuals will rarely have a diagnosis, yet they tend to be right at the centre of any workplace conflict.
A 2025 meta-analysis by Marbut, Harms & Credé of Machiavellian leadership found that Machiavellianism is associated with a range of undesirable leadership behaviours and outcomes. Research shows that men high in Machiavellianism are more likely to fabricate information about themselves during job interviews. Other research by Mert Gürlek examines the relationships between Machiavellianism, career ambition, and intention to engage in unethical behaviour. Further research by Volmer, Koch, and Göritz examined leader Machiavellianism and psychopathy and how they worryingly negatively affect subordinates’ career success and well-being.
The Red Flags
Machiavellians can initially appear charming, warm, and welcoming, but then something shifts, and they become difficult and demanding, very quickly making those around them feel unworthy and unprepared.
Warning signs of Machiavellianism include creating conflict or divisions within teams by taking credit for someone else’s work and shouting and blaming others when issues arise. They think they are superior and exploit relationships for their gain. Their lack of social skills soon becomes apparent, particularly when they treat colleagues like children. They may behave inappropriately in meetings. People around them often have to tread on eggshells. They can be very productive but lack strong management skills and may treat colleagues like disposable objects. They are hard to challenge, happy to deceive, and often negative. Machiavellians tendtostruggle to identify and express their feelings.
What exactly is Machiavellianism?
Machiavellianism and narcissism are two traits within a psychological framework known as the Dark Triad, alongside psychopathy. Broadly speaking, Machiavellianism is associated with a tendency to use manipulation and strategic behaviour to achieve personal goals, whereas narcissistic traits may be more evident in a strong desire for attention, validation, status or praise. Psychopathy is characterised by a different pattern of traits, including callousness, reduced empathy and impulsivity.
Importantly, these are traits that can occur to varying degrees, rather than automatically indicating a personality disorder. In a workplace context, it is therefore more useful to focus on observable behaviour and its impact than to try to label or diagnose an individual. Difficult or concerning behaviour may after all have many possible explanations.
Although research settings can assess Machiavellianism using validated psychometric measures, such as Christie and Geis’s Mach-IV, colleagues or managers should not use these tools for assessment. In most workplace situations, recognising recurring behaviours is more constructive than trying to identify a particular personality type. This way we can recognise patterns of behaviour that may cause concern, conflict or harm, remain appropriately alert to them, and respond to what we can actually observe.
Machiavellian traits have also been discussed in relation to occupations and environments where competition, influence, negotiation or strategic thinking may be particularly important, including politics, law, entrepreneurship, sales and sport. However, this should not be taken to mean that people in these professions are more likely to possess such traits, or that Machiavellian characteristics are necessarily advantageous in these specific industries.
Strategies To Deal With People Scoring Highly With Machiavellianism
It’s not easy, but the first step is to recognise Machiavellian traits for what they are so you can work with the individual and ensure leaders maintain professionalism and integrity. Using emotional intelligence and ethical leadership skills, good leaders can help to manage Machiavellian behaviours and minimise their impact on others, while effectively utilising the skills they do have to offer.
One classic problem is that a high-scoring Machiavellian has a penchant for hijacking a meeting. A good Chairperson is needed.
It’s easy to say, “Don’t take it personally” and try to limit your interaction with the person, but in reality, it is hard to do that in the workplace. Instead, set boundaries and ground rules, and be clear about what behaviours are unacceptable. Use consistent processes for work allocation, accountability, performance evaluation and decision-making. Finally, ensure you have a framework that enables people to raise issues and concerns about colleagues, even more senior ones, without fear of retribution.
About the author:
Jane Gunn is a mediator, speaker and author, and a former corporate lawyer. She specialises in transforming business relationships and helping organisations navigate conflict, change and challenging situations. Her work brings together people with different priorities and perspectives to resolve disputes, strengthen relationships and make effective decisions about their future.
https://janegunn.co.uk
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