The Power Trap - Why are there so many toxic people in the top spots?
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“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” – Douglas Adams. Is there something to this?
Book: Corruptible – Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us (2021) by Brian Klaas
In our book this month, Brian Klaas, a political scientist at University College London, examines four fundamental questions about people in power: Do worse people get power? Does power make people worse? Why do we let people control us who clearly have no business being in control? How can we ensure that less corruptible people get into power and wield it justly? To answer these questions, the book draws on over 500 interviews with some of the world’s top leaders—from the noblest to the dirtiest—including presidents and philanthropists as well as rebels, cultists, and dictators. A key aspect of Klaas’s thesis is that rather than focusing just on how to deal with bad leaders, we need to design systems that attract, screen, and promote better people and leaders.
While reading the book for this meetup is not compulsory, it is strongly encouraged to enable more focal points in our discussion. But Klaas has also done some good presentations on the book. Some of them are linked below.
So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6.30pm MONDAY June 3rd at the far-end of the 2nd floor at the Keg & Brew Hotel, Surrey Hills. (Note: the 2nd floor here means going up two flights of stairs – Ground (pub), 1st floor (kitchen and toilets), 2nd floor (us), 3rd floor (rooftop, where you can get a drink and order food)). It’s close to Central Station and the Light Rail.
l am trying Monday again, instead of Tuesday, to hopefully get a quieter room (but there is no guarantee; we may even be evicted if a paid-booking for the room gazumps us, so make sure to check that our location has not changed before coming).
Hope to see you there!
p.s. PLEASE ADJUST YOUR EMAIL NOTIFICATION SETTINGS (particularly for the Big Ideas Book Club settings further down the main email notification settings page). This is useful in case I need to notify everyone of any late changes to the event.
p.p.s. Also PLEASE ADJUST YOUR RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to people on the waitlist.
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These are just possible links to consider. If you know of something useful on this topic, feel free to pass on the links in the discussion section.
Videos
- Brian Klaas gives a 1hr Ted-talk style presentation on the book. A must-watch if you have not read the book.
Why do we get the wrong leaders? Brian Klaas
- A Big Think piece with Brian Klaas on the book. Also very good but long (2hrs)
- The Global Strategy Forum - Webinar with Klaas
Corruptible: Who Gets Power And How It Changes Us
- A fascinating case study on the rise and fall of Boris Johnson
ABC iView - The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson
- If you want to delve more into Klaas's case study of how power corrupts - Ma Anand Sheela, who was the second-in-charge to the spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - see the Netflix documentary Wild, Wild Country.
Written material
- The Next Big Idea – Klaas’s five point summary of the book
The Next Big Idea - Corruptible in five key points
- A long summary of the book by Lucio Buffalmano
The Power Trap - Why are there so many toxic people in the top spots?