The speaker discusses the psychological burden of power and the role of traits like Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy in leadership. They argue that power should be costly in terms of psychological weight, and that leaders should be aware of the real-world consequences of their decisions. They also highlight the 'dark triad' traits, which include Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, and how these traits can be beneficial or detrimental in leadership roles.
The speaker suggests that psychological screening should be implemented for high-level positions, and that leaders should be asked questions that reveal their true motivations for seeking power. They believe that this would help expose individuals who are power-hungry or in it for the wrong reasons, and that such individuals should not be given the power to lead.
The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of democracy and elections in choosing leaders, and suggests ways to improve the scrutiny process and the functioning of leaders once they have come into power.
1. The speaker believes that power should be a burden to ordinary people and should be costly in the sense of psychology.
2. The speaker argues that if power is easy and fun, the person is not the right person for the job.
3. The speaker suggests that the highest levels of power are often ruining some lives and making others much better.
4. The speaker emphasizes that if power does not weigh on you, you haven't done your job right.
5. The speaker argues that psychopaths cannot be fixed in this regard, regardless of how much they know someone.
6. The speaker mentions the 'dark triad' traits, which include Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.
7. The speaker suggests that these traits can occur in elevated levels in isolation.
8. The speaker states that Machiavellian people tend to be better at getting power because they are strategic thinkers.
9. The speaker argues that narcissists, if they occur in isolation, can actually help you make more money.
10. The speaker suggests that psychopathy, on its own, without the Machiavellian or narcissistic component, is reasonably rare.
11. The speaker believes that psychopaths, when they do exist, are more impulsive and willing to take risks than other people.
12. The speaker argues that successful psychopaths are not good at wielding power, but they are often good at obtaining it because they are power hungry.
13. The speaker believes that psychopaths, in isolation, are not someone you want in charge of a company.
14. The speaker suggests that while these traits can be studied independently, the areas of power that we're most interested in tend to be clustered around those with the dark triad.
15. The speaker argues that depending on the study, psychopaths are between four times and a hundred times more represented in positions of power than everybody else.
16. The speaker believes that we have clearly designed systems that are not doing an effective job at screening these people out or weeding them out once they get into power.
17. The speaker argues that we have people in power who have no business being there at a much greater rate than the general population.
18. The speaker firmly believes in democracy, which means elections are essential and a vibrant part of choosing leaders.
19. The speaker suggests that there are a few things we can do to make them function better, both in the scrutiny process, and after someone has come to power.
20. The speaker proposes that we should have some psychological screening at the top jobs.
21. The speaker suggests that there should be an expectation that people who are about to control nuclear weapons should at a minimum, be subject to a psychological test.
22. The speaker proposes a certain question that should be asked to people who want to wield immense power: "What would it take for you to think that you are no longer necessary in power?"