Power Poisoning

Bob Sutton, Stanford University

According to author Bob Sutton, when someone is placed in a position of power, three things can happen to cause “power poisoning”: 1) The individual focuses on their own needs and concerns; 2) The individual focuses little attention on the needs of others; and 3) The individual often acts like the rules don’t apply to them. Evidence is also mounting, says Sutton, that the more successful a manager is, the more likely they are to break the rules.