7. I’m sure by now we are already attaching names to the pictures, but hold on,
its not this simple to simply categorize or diagnose,
that takes many years of study and unless you are a professional
in the field, lets look at this as nothing but an outline of information.

8. Pause
sip
and
take
this
in

9. Can you identify with any of the
characters in this sketch?
Which one and why?

10. The pitfalls of being a Machiavellian
manager
■ We have all been forced to follow a Machiavellian leader; most of us just never
realized what we were experiencing and certainly never knew how to deal with
them.
■ Can be found in every organization from the lowest level supervisor up
■ How one responds to the leader or situation may predict success or failure.

11. A common diagram taking the
wellbeing of all into account
and looking at the
point of self actualization
as the goal
However if the ones that
are below are not
met, then no progress can
be made.

12. Machiavellians
-are without ethical and moral conviction
- believe that they can get whatever they want through manipulation
and self-service malevolence.
- often use a host of manipulative tools to control the organization,
including fear, retaliation and embarrassment
- with rank, also have narcissistic tendencies and cannot accept
failure, errors or lack of respect.
- will build an environment around themselves to support ruthless
desire for success so that strategies like deception, manipulation or
intimation become second nature to achieve their illusion.
Is it starting to sound eerily familiar?

13. Will control the organizational hierarchy by continually seeking and
assimilating power,
- taking responsibility for successes while blaming others for failures to feed
an ever-expanding psychological need for power, adoration and superiority.
- arrogance and irrational decisions lead to situations from which they
cannot recover, and the organization becomes sick.
- toxicity that even one manager with a Machiavellian mindset can spread is
daunting.
The eventuality of the ultimate demise of the organization can be seen early
by
- talent leaving,
- ethical lapses,
- financial decisions,
- and eventually a leadership reset.

14. There are ways to contribute to a solution to avoid dragging the
organization and its people through the toxic swamp.
Open discussion does not mean superseding the authority of the
supervisor or manager
Invite the perpetrator to lunch and see what happens. Make it
cordial and not a whine and dine.
However if the person gets upset or retaliates in a
passive/aggressive manner, there is a big problem.

15. We all see the world from different perspectives, and it is essential
to adopt a way for you to have a professional conversation with
another person when there is conflict.
There are many ways to have difficult conversations, but the most
straightforward is by using the OIC model (Observe, Interpret,
Confirm).
First, share your observation (“I observed you taking a watch from
the clerks desk.”). The actual act
Next, share how the action was interpreted (“It appeared that you
were stealing the watch.”).How you understood the act
Finally, confirm that view with the other person (“Is that what you
were doing?”).

16. In a healthy, adult environment, the other person will appreciate
the opportunity to clarify the issue, (“I can see how that may have
looked, but the clerk asked that I deliver it to his wife in the family
room.”). Note the emphasis is on a healthy organization.
The unhealthy organization, commonly ruled by a Machiavellian
leader, will rely on rumor, innuendo and other damaging forms of
avoidance instead of addressing the person or issue.

17. - With the Machiavellian leader, you need to engage him or her with
a respectful and honest conversation.
- Share your perspective on the situation and do it in a way to not
assign blame.
- Using the OIC model, share as many details as possible.
- Use facts, not opinion, and avoid referencing rumors.
- Machiavellian leaders thrive on opportunities to exercise power
and fear, but do not appreciate ever being challenged with facts.
- If you avoid even the simplest dialog with the leadership, you are
guaranteeing that the dysfunction will continue.
-Remember silence is concurrence.

18. You cannot assume that a Machiavellian leader will
suddenly wake up and realize the error of their ways. It
hardly ever works that way.
If the person defers responsibility to other teams,
regresses to retaliation or personal attacks, or if he or she
is indifferent, then there may be no hope.

19. - Of most importance, keep yourself in check and avoid the trap of
virulent engagement.
- The more you can maintain your focus on the organization’s goals,
the less likely you are to buy into the winner versus loser reasoning
often found with Machiavellian leaders.
- Personal integrity and character must be the foundation for the
outcome you are trying to achieve.
- Regardless of the outcome, maintain the adherence to a standard
that supports collaboration and open communication, not
retaliation.

20. Lastly, take care of your mental and physical health.
Machiavellian leadership can damage your emotional and physical
health
You have to be able to own your actions, release what you have no
control of, and possibly make a deliberate move if you can.
If the situation does not resolve or gets worse, seek the advice of a
human resources professional, mentor and a mental health
professional.
IT’S OK NOT TO BE OK

21. Final thoughts
Often speaking truth to power must occur to drive change, though
rebuilding the relationships take an incredible amount of stamina
and courage.

22. 0724948627
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