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Leadership / New to Work / Well-being

Working With The Devil: How to Protect Yourself from a Machiavellian Boss

January 16, 2023
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Have you ever met a person that kind of seems powerful and intimidating, but also incredibly hostile and controlling towards those around them? Someone that is not well-liked but seems to get what they want and where they want to be every single time? Who derives all their meaning of life through flaunting their expensive car, their job title, their connections to influential individuals? Someone who seems to be an outright villain from a superhero story? If your answer to most of these questions is “Yes”, then congratulations – you are probably dealing with a Machiavellian person. If this person is your boss (or maybe a colleague you are stuck with for a project), you should know how to best protect yourself and your sanity while interacting and working with them. We have summarized the most important insights psychology research has to offer! 

Is your boss a Machiavellian?

Machiavellians are more difficult to spot than Narcissists and Psychopaths, mainly because they are the Dark Triad trait who are the least impulsive and the most collected. Still, you can spot them if you know what characteristics to pay attention to.

  • Incredibly manipulative: Yes, all Dark Triad traits share a talent for manipulation. But. Machiavellians are notorious for going the extra mile and not backing away from using even immoral or illegal manipulation to control those around them and get what they want.
  • Calculated: Machiavellians keep their emotions and impulses in check. They are very collected and controlled. Nothing they do is random, they show the world what they want to show and deceive who they want to deceive.
  • Cynicism and Misanthropy: Machiavellians do not see the world as a good place that is inhabited mostly by kind and trustworthy people. They are cynical and perceive their fellow human beings as not trustworthy, inherently bad and as potential enemies. This world view also probably explains why they consistently showcase unscrupulous and callous behavior towards everyone around them. However, Machiavellians do sometimes build personal relationships. But only with powerful and high-status people who they can use to achieve their goals. 
  • Callousness: Most of us believe that there are some things that you just don’t do, because they either deviate from social norms or violate basic moral values. Simply said, Machiavellians don’t hesitate to take advantage of others and throw the people around them under the bus, if this facilitates the achievement of their goals. Empathy, kindness and concern are traits you will definitely NOT find in a Machiavellian.
  • Money, Power, Status: What is striking with Machiavellians is that they seem to not care about much else but money, power, status. They go to great lengths to achieve and protect these goals and they usually show off their luxury goods or achievements or anything that makes them seem better than others.

Working with a Machiavellian is a risk to your well-being.

The leadership research literature is full of studies showing that working with a Machiavellian boss can negatively affect your well-being. For example, interacting with them can make you feel exhausted and unsatisfied with your job. What’s more, being around a cynical and misanthropic boss can actually make you also less trusting and more cynical, especially towards the company that employs you.

5 ways to protect yourself.

1. Don’t let their words or behaviour dictate your self-worth.

Put simply, Machiavellians are mean people. They will say and do whatever brings them closer to power and control. This often means that they engage in abusive leadership. What is really important is to keep in mind that this has nothing to do with you, your competence, or your self-worth. What can make things a bit easier, is to find a group of people at work that you trust – support each other during the difficult times. 

2. Keep your distance.

Here’s the thing. Whatever information a Machiavellian person has about you, they will use it against you when they see fit. Because Machiavellians do have empathy skills, they can understand how you feel. But instead of feeling for you, they know exactly how to emotionally manipulate you. Don’t share personal information with them, keep your distance, and keep conversations very superficial and task-focused. Give them as little ground to stand on as possible.

3. Don’t forget your own values and morals.

Studies have shown over and over again that working with or for a Machiavellian person, makes it more likely that you will eventually also engage in amoral or inappropriate behaviour. Why, you ask? First, Machiavellians manage to manipulate and use those around them to get what they want. Second, people are oftentimes scared to speak up against a Machiavellian because Machiavellians can become very abusive when they feel threatened or things don’t go their way. Third, the mere presence and tolerance of Machiavellians in an organization creates a corporate culture where inappropriate behaviour is normalized. Either way, it is important to always keep your own values and morals in mind and let them guide you through both private and professional life.  

4. Don’t believe everything they say.

Machiavellian people heavily rely on deceptive strategies (including lying) to control, manipulate and instrumentalize others. So, do not believe everything they say. Further, ask yourself what their intentions might be in saying what they are saying. What do they want you to believe and why? If possible, fact check what they say with a second or third source.

5. Ask the right questions during your interview to avoid a Machiavellian boss.

Try to avoid having to work with a Machiavellian boss in the first place. For example, during your next interview, ask your potential boss questions such as “How would you describe your management style?”, “How would you describe your ideal employee?”, or “How would you describe your team culture?”. If the interview is with a recruiter, adjust these questions to something like “How would you describe [name of supervisor]’s management style?”

Having to work with a Machiavellian boss is a huge burden to your mental health and potentially your career. It is not sustainable long-term. Therefore, if possible, try to switch job positions either internally or externally.

Get the support you always wanted

We know that sometimes, small actions of reflection like the ones we suggest in this article, quickly slip our mind and before we know it, we forget about them altogether. If you need an occasional reminder, follow us on our Instagram and Facebook page – we use it as an interactive way to help each other implement the advice we suggest in our blog posts. And we love to hear about your experiences and thoughts!

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This article is based on the following sources and academic articles

Photo by Nastuh Abootalebi on Unsplash