Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

Psychopaths are ruthless, cunning, and conscienceless egotists. They will sell out their own mother in their quest for power. And yet they are loved and admired by many. How can we reconcile this contradiction? Babiak and Hare demonstrate that psychopaths are masters of adopting a "mask of sanity" (a term coined by Hervey Cleckley in his masterpiece, "The Mask of Sanity"); that is they are extremely effective at impression management. They are con artists who can fool even the experts, donning whatever persona is needed to manipulate their victims. If you can be of value to the social striving of a subclinical psychopath, you can bet that he will convince you of his good intentions, his honour, his kind nature, etc. But it is a lie. He is simply using you. "Snakes in Suits" examines psychopaths in the corporate workplace: how to spot them and how to deal with them. But its lessons are applicable to a bigger picture. The moral relativism inherent in our Capitalist system is the perfect opening for opportunistic psychopaths to rise to the top. And as the authors show, this can never be a good thing. Psychopaths are untalented narcissists who profit only on the work of others. And in a political environment, this can be disastrous. Witness, for example, the historical phenomena of Nazism and Stalinism, systems of government in which psychopaths occupied all positions of authority. Without a general understanding of the reality of psychopathy, they will continue to operate freely, causing misery and suffering for their victims (more numerous by the day). "Snakes in Suits" should be read along with Lobaczewski's "Political Ponerology" (Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes)), an analysis of systems of government in which psychopaths rule. Both books contain information urgently needed not only by ordinary citizens, but by anyone in a leadership position.

I don't usually recommend books that fall into the "Business," "Popular Psychology" or "Self-help" categories, but I believe this book is a must-read for anyone in business. (Read it before you start any new job, and remember its lessons.) I'm not a mental health professional or scholar, so I can't say whether the characterization of "psychopath" is accurate; in my understanding, the more accurate term is "sociopath," unless actual physical violence or criminality is involved, but the definition is for those in the field to dispute or determine. Besides, in the absence of conscience, I would guess it's a slippery slope from the one to the other. What I like most about this book is that it isn't merely focused on case studies, or on the havoc these personalities can wreak on their individual victims. Yes, the Ah-ha! moments when you finally recognize the manipulator and his/her tactics can be comforting, and it's great to finally see through these snakes' distortions of reality. However, the real contribution of this book, I contend, is that it addresses the collateral damage these monsters can do within an organization: crushing overall employee morale, eroding confidence in the company's internal ethics, and ultimately diminishing employee performance and retention of good "talent." (HR professionals, take note.) I also appreciated that the authors don't give "band-aid" solutions to the victims. In my own case, after reading this book and assessing the damage done me by a snake in my sphere at a corporation I had loved working for, I sadly realized that the time had come to cut my losses and reinvent my professional life elsewhere. If I had read the book earlier on, I might not have fallen prey to his/her reptile tactics in the first place, but at least this book prevented me from rationalizing and deluding myself that goodness would prevail and that I could reverse the damage. So yes, this book is a useful reference for those in contact with corporate snakes, but it is thankfully not a clichéd working manual. I appreciate that it is able to raise the profound ramifications of allowing these manipulators to spawn in an organization, and that it is analytical enough to go beyond the individual anecdotes to show the broader damage that ignoring or sheltering these creatures can effect. Lastly, it's a fascinating read.... highly recommended.

In close to two decades, I've come across some six people in work-related situations who would seem to share many of the traits of the "snakes" portrayed in Snakes in Suits. That may not be surprising, as the authors of Snakes in Suits estimate that some 3.5% of those in the workforce are probably psychopaths-- individuals without conscience or empathy who have no difficulty in manipulating, bullying or otherwise harming others for personal gain. Authors Babiak and Hare provide details of how psychopaths operate, carefully assessing possible allies and rivals, gaining the sympathy and assistance of the former and damaging the credibility and effectiveness of the latter. And they can be hard to stop-- psychopaths are extremely adept at creating positive impressions with top management and decision-makers, so the complaints of others are frequently disregarded. Having encontered a number of people with traits similar to those portrayed in Snakes in Suits, I was particularly impressed by the authors' differentiation between snakes who manipulate, snakes who bully and snakes who act as "puppetmasters"-- that is, wreaking havoc through third parties. I've seen all three types, and supect that others have as well. I was also impressed that Babiak and Hare rightly caution that snakes might be difficult to dislodge and frequently smear the reputations of potential rivals or detractors, often making it very difficult for would-be whistle-blowers. The authors warn victims not to engage with the psychopath, to document everything, and to vote with their feet by seeking a transfer or a new job-- all of which is useful and pragmatic advice, and parallels the realities of the workplace as I have seen them over the years. I would also hope that the "vote with your feet" advice is comforting to those who have fallen victim to a snake-- if you've been used, derailed or disparaged, please know that this is the usual course of events. Babiak and Hare also provide some excellent advice to companies on how to prevent the hiring of a psychopath: check the facts on all resumes exhaustively, conduct multiple interviewss with multiple staff at varying levels in the organization, painstakingly review technical credentials and capabilities, which many psychopaths lack, do as much reference checking as possible, and use a hiring committee to compare impressions. Note as well that psychopaths typically excel in interviews and frequently inflate their job performance. This would suggest that companies might best be served by hiring on the basis of performance, not charm. The "perfect" candidate may not be so perfect. As well, Snakes in Suits suggests has some valuable advice for human resources professionals and top management: project teams or units unable to function cohesively are somewhat more likely to be harboring a worker with psychopathic traits. And, sadly, the psychopath might be the worker who has charmed you and labeled others as "complainers", "disloy

Dr. Babiak and Dr. Hare have done an excellent job with an estoteric, compelling, and potentially volatile subject matter. Their case histories, along with real-life examples, will provide the reader with an educational introduction to psychopathic behavior. In an era when many jobs are outsourced, and more of us are made to do with less, the hiring decision becomes even more important. "Slow to hire, and quick to fire" might be the mantra of the new world economy. The authors have detailed how hiring managers and HR departments need to access potential employees, and not only for the very small minority who will actually be "psychopathic." The authors made a salient statement, and I will paraphrase it. "We found that HR departments and interviewers did not prepare enough before the actual interview, and did not have enough questions prepared in advance... Often, items on the resumes and references were not verified until much later, if at all..." With the exception of the excellent book, "Ask The Headhunter," I have not seen the focus thrust back upon the actual hiring authorities. Practical advice was given how to evaluate talent. This can assist either party during the hiring decision. But most of all, this book, while it addresses a specific personality disorder, teaches us more about human behavior. Hopefully, we will learn more about our own behavioral patterns. This work would be a very good read for someone new to the workforce, along with anyone who wants to survive in our rapidly changing culture. As the authors concisely and adroitly mentioned near the end of the book, "The more we understand and know ourselves, the better we can understand others." Thank you for the opportunity to review this provocative book.