“Charisma without Conscience – A way of life in the business world?”
They are sophisticated, good looking, confident and able to earn your trust with a relaxed smile and a few well-chosen words. Today’s business “knights in shining Armani”*are here to ‘help’ relieve you of your excess dollars. Recognize the profile?
These “charmers with refrigerated hearts”* could be suppliers, customers, businessmen/business women, ministers of government, leaders of important organizations, even presidents, monarchs and world leaders. What they all have in common is the ease and charm with which they can persuade others to willingly give them what they want and then take it without blinking an eye. Combine these natural persuasive skills with unbridled power and you have a lethal combination.
I am not talking about the crude thief or con-man – I am talking about the intelligent, persuasive psychopath who convinces you that it is in your best interest to take your life and the life of your children by drinking Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. This is precisely what the notorious Charles Manson persuaded all 900 hundred of his followers to do.
It happens every day, all over the world on a perhaps a less physically lethal scale. The ‘mother of them all – Enron -’left in its wake thousands of devastated lives. The question is: “Why do people in many third world countries have a reputation for being the front runners in lying, cheating and stealing?” Is it because we are better or worse at the game? Is it because power is mainly one-sided in these countries that we do away with the CH in charm and simply use strong-arm strategies?
Is it because we secretly admire lying, cheating and stealing and even see them as virtues and signs of intelligence? Or is it because ‘honesty’ is perceived as synonymous with stupidity? Maybe when POWER is added to the equation, the charm dissolves and bare-faced greed kicks in – “pure psychopathy” takes over where the more charming and genuinely effective brand of “functional psychopathy” left off.
“No, I won’t pay you – because I can get away with it. Your hands are tied and I know it because the ‘balance of power’ is heavily weighted in my favour. I will do as I please and you can do your worst. It will have no effect. I enjoy watching you grovel at my feet – knowing that you dare not offend. You just have to kiss my A.. and not complain. Remember, I have your money. Maybe I will pay you and maybe I won’t. It all depends on my mood and whether or not my feeling of importance is fully satisfied or not! “
“You have defective products that could cause serious accidents, expired goods that could damage people’s health, radioactive waste that could cause genetic dysfunctions – no problem – if you pay me to relieve you of this burden – I know exactly what to do with them -’Don’t worry – be happy!’ I will fix your problem very easily and I will get rich doing it.”
I know it sounds scandalously bad but there is hope! There is a young, confident generation in many of these third world countries that is rising up and saying NO to corruption. They want to be true professionals and to be recognized for their competence and intelligence. They want to hold their heads up high when they say they are from Country X or Country Y.
They have been educated in some of the best universities in the world. They have distinguished themselves and taken leadership positions with global power-houses and proved themselves to be deserving of their positions!
They are CEOs, writers, managers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, psychologists, researchers, business owners, students, parents with sound values and many other good things.
The winds of change are blowing in the many of the third world countries. Right now these winds are causing turbulence and uncertainly. After the storm comes the calm and with it warm sunshine.
