Why do the worst people rise to power? University College London professor Brian Klaas responds. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why psychopaths rise to power ► youtu.be/PpyIZ4DGIK8 George Washington famously didn’t want to become the president of the United States, but he accepted the job and performed it well. That’s how people should feel about important leadership positions, according to how political scientist Brian Klaas thinks about the role of power in society. Klaas says that power should be a burden on people because leaders have to make decisions that will ultimately have negative consequences for many people. One problem: some humans don’t care about those consequences. And, according to Klaas, our institutions don’t do a very good job of screening these people out of important leadership spots. Klaas suggests implementing psychological screening for top jobs, asking questions to determine why someone seeks power, and identifying whether they are in it for themselves or for the greater good. These measures can help to ensure that the right people are in positions of power, whether that means leading a company, governing a nation, or handling nuclear weapons. 0:00 Power should be a burden / Power should keep you up at night 1:18: The dark triad personality traits 1:43 Machiavellianism 2:06 Narcissism 2:40 Psychopathy 4:04 Psychological screening for powerful jobs Read the video transcript ► hbigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/leaders-should-be-psych-tested/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Brian Klaas: Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on politics: 6 great philosophers and how they used their political power ► bigthink.com/thinking/philosophers-political-power/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description How Russia’s strange cultural mindset led to Vladimir Putin’s great miscalculation ► bigthink.com/the-present/putin-great-miscalculation/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description Intolerance of uncertainty drives liberals and conservatives to polarizing partisanship ► bigthink.com/the-present/political-polarization-2653027840/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think Our mission is to make you smarter, faster. Watch interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers on science, philosophy, business, and more. ► Big Think+ Looking to ignite a learning culture at your company? Prepare your workforce for the future with educational courses from the world’s biggest thinkers. Trusted by Ford, Marriot, Bank of America, and many more. Learn how Big Think+ can empower your people today: bigthink.com/plus/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: bigthink.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: bigthink.com/subscribe/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ► Facebook: bigth.ink/facebook/ ► Instagram: bigth.ink/Instagram/ ► Twitter: bigth.ink/twitter/

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