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166 SNAKES IN SUITS
exposure. Short-term results, or what may look like results, can be deceiving,
especially if cleverly presented, and can provide enough cover
until the next promotion. This is especially true when the performance
measurement systems themselves are in a state of flux or perhaps
nonexistent. Psychopathic pretenders can thrive on and hide
within the chaos of transitioning organizations.
Would an organization in need of strong leadership hire a pretender?
Not willingly, of course, but because a pretender can seem
like an ideal leadership development candidate to a company seeking
entrepreneurial leadership, this mistake can happen quite easily. Likewise,
the corporate psychopath on staff, having already created a persona
of the ideal employee in the minds of executives and employees
alike, can easily morph into a high-energy, visionary entrepreneur.
Once this label is affixed, conning or bullying others can seem like
an effective management style, especially when many in the organization
are still paralyzed by the chaotic change surrounding them,
caught in their personal frustrations, and unable or unwilling to accept
the new business model. In contrast to the rest of the organization’s
members, the corporate psychopath looks like a knight on a
white horse, cool, calm, and confident. The fact that the psychopaths’
efforts rarely result in long-term business improvements is clouded by
their self-serving bravado and the mystique that follows them.
When dramatic organizational change is added to the normal
levels of job insecurity, personality clashes, and political battling, the
resulting chaotic milieu provides both the necessary stimulation and
sufficient “cover” for psychopathic behavior.
Secrecy
There is another aspect of organizational life—whether business, military,
religious, or government—that facilitates the entry, manipulation,
and deceit of the pretender: secrecy. Secrecy is a part of
organizational life. The need for secrecy is quite understandable and is