1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 The conversation explores the difference between influence and manipulation, why dark leaders are often drawn to power, how “kiss up, kick down” behaviour can hide for years, and why organizational culture plays such a critical role. Ted also discusses what he calls dark-activated behaviour: people who may begin acting destructively when the culture rewards or tolerates it. In Episode #118 of The Executive Commute, Jayson Krause is joined by industrial-organizational psychologist Dr. Ted Vokes for a deep examination of evil, the dark tetrad, and what dark leadership can look like inside organizations. Ted breaks down four dark personality traits: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism. He explains how these traits can show up in leaders who appear charming, capable, and impressive to those above them while exploiting, manipulating, intimidating, or destabilizing the people below them. Jayson and Ted then move from recognition to response. They discuss how to protect yourself, set non-negotiable boundaries, contain damaging behaviour through clear expectations and behaviour management, and why organizations should act decisively when they have grounds to remove a toxic leader. The episode closes with a more hopeful question: what protects leadership from becoming dark? Ted points to social and emotional intelligence, ego maturity, and the ability to be secure in your own power while making room for the power of others. Episode timestamps: 00:00 Evil and dark traits in leadership 00:11 Ted’s personal connection to dark leadership 03:47 Rethinking “hurt people hurt people” 08:24 Ted’s background in industrial-organizational psychology 12:24 Understanding the dark tetrad 13:45 Narcissism 14:56 The dark, Goldilocks, and dazzling zones 19:15 Psychopathy 22:43 Psychopathy in executive roles 27:10 Why dark leadership can look delightful 28:15 Machiavellianism 29:43 Manipulation versus influence 31:47 Narcissistic theatre and self-serving causes 34:47 Machiavellianism in practice 37:54 Sadism 40:00 What workplace sadism can look like 44:23 How common dark traits may be 47:56 Culture as the antidote 49:00 Dark-activated behaviour 51:52 How culture can activate destructive behaviour 57:20 “What if I’m one of them?” 59:42 Working alongside a dark leader 1:03:00 Containment and behaviour management 1:06:39 Why not simply let them go? 1:08:04 The three outcomes of containment 1:11:00 Can people with dark traits change? 1:12:41 The worst advice for dealing with dark traits 1:16:52 Where the hope comes from 1:19:01 Boundaries are not negotiations 1:22:30 Where to learn more about Ted 1:23:37 The invisible force behind leadership success 1:27:27 Closing reflections Prefer to watch? Find the full video episode of The Executive Commute on the Level 52 Inc. YouTube channel. Follow Level 52 Inc. on YouTube for full conversations, clips, and more leadership content. Follow Jayson Krause LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayson-krause/ &amp;nbsp; Executive Commute With Jayson Krause https://jaysonkrause.libsyn.com/ <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/42999963/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/206558533