Snakes in Suits

I read the Polish translation titled “Psychopaci w pracy: Jak ich rozpoznać i jak sobie z nimi radzić”.

The title is provocative and that is what caught my attention. After about 150 pages I did not find sensationalism - rather, a collection of anecdotes mixed with references to a few scientific studies and accounts of possibly real situations where one person deceives another. One example reads like a true-crime anecdote: a lawyer manipulating a client and later killing her for money.

The book mixes a handbook style with novel-like storytelling. That technique makes dry material more engaging, and I do not fault the authors for it. Early on I was waiting for practical advice on how to deal with such people - the section that promises “how to deal with them” appears later (spoiler: I was disappointed).

After another roughly 150 pages it becomes slightly more interesting, but not dramatically so. The authors draw correlations between psychopathic traits and leadership styles. Unsurprisingly, many traits that help psychopaths - confidence, charm, risk tolerance - can also appear as leadership strengths when channeled constructively. It is easy for employees to look at certain traits and label their boss a “psychopath,” but behavior that appears similar may instead be trained or strategic. Recognizing true psychopathy requires standardized testing administered by trained professionals to avoid bias and misdiagnosis.

Practically speaking, diagnosing psychopathy requires a standardized instrument and a specialist to administer and interpret it. In many European jurisdictions there are legal and ethical limits on formal diagnoses outside clinical contexts, so expecting casual or lay diagnosis from a book is unrealistic.

Overall impression: I found parts of the book interesting, but after about 300 pages I did not find useful, actionable conclusions. Because reliable diagnosis needs specialists and may be constrained by law, the book felt limited in practical value. I stopped reading the rest and do not recommend spending time on it if you expect clear guidance or diagnostic tools.