Corporate Sociopaths: Why Transformations Fail, with Jonathon Grantham

Corporate Sociopaths: Why Transformations Fail, with Jonathon Grantham

From BizBlend by Sana and Avik Chakraborty - by Healthy Mind by Avik ™. All rights reserved.

June 9, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

Jonathon Grantham discusses the reasons behind failed corporate transformations, emphasizing the role of sociopathic traits in leadership.

Most transformations don't fail because of the tech. They fail because of a person, often a senior one who sounds confident on stage while quietly burning the trust real change needs. Jonathon Grantham, software director and author of the Corporate Sociopath Handbook, breaks down the Dark Five traits, why organizations reward them, and the third-third-third rule behind every project. About the Guest: Jonathon Grantham is a director at Nexoid and author of the Corporate Sociopath Handbook. Over two decades across Australia and the UK, he has led large-scale technology and transformation programs. Key Takeaways: Projects are a third tech, a third process, a third psychology; miss one and it fails Corporations are built to serve shareholders, which rewards sociopathic thinking The Dark Five: narcissism, Machiavellianism, sociopathy, sadism, spitefulness Sadism and spite help no one; sociopathy and self-promotion rise up the chain A warm, supportive boss can still be sociopathic; surface their real agenda Use AI to grow people into better roles, not to cut them, like IKEA did Connect With the Guest: Book website: https://www.corporatesociopathhandbook.com/ Company…

People in this episode

Hosts: Sana Chakraborty, Avik Chakraborty

Guest: Jonathon Grantham

Topics covered

  • corporate transformations
  • sociopathy in business
  • leadership traits
  • project management
  • organizational behavior

Keywords

  • corporate sociopaths
  • transformation failure
  • Dark Five traits
  • third-third-third rule
  • leadership psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nexoid, IKEA, Amazon

Books & works: Corporate Sociopath Handbook

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