What This Study Found
Being a jerk doesn't actually get you promoted. Researchers tracked professionals for 14 years and found that disagreeable people—those who are selfish, combative, and manipulative—were no more likely to reach positions of power than their agreeable counterparts. This challenges the common belief that "nice guys finish last" in corporate America, although the reality is probably more nuanced. Other papers do show when and why it may help to be disagreeable to get ahead.
Two competing forces cancel each other out. Disagreeable individuals do benefit from one behavior: they're more dominant and aggressive, which can help them gain power. However, they also engage in fewer communal and generous behaviors, which hurts them. These opposing effects essentially neutralized each other for the executives tracked in this study.
The "Steve Jobs effect" misleads us. We notice disagreeable powerful people more because bad behavior is more memorable than good behavior ('bad is stronger than good'). This creates a false impression that being disagreeable is the path to success, when in reality, we're just more likely to remember and talk about the jerks at the top.
Why This Matters for Kind Leaders
Your collaborative nature isn't holding you back—it's actually an advantage. While you might worry that your reluctance to play political games puts you at a disadvantage, this research shows that your generous, communal approach to work relationships is actively helping your career progression.
Focus on strategic visibility, not personality transformation. Instead of trying to become someone you're not, you could try to make your collaborative wins more visible. When you help a teammate solve a complex problem or build consensus around a difficult decision, key stakeholders should probably know about it. Your natural strengths in building relationships and creating value are career assets—you just need better marketing.
Leverage your relationship-building advantage. While disagreeable people struggle with poor interpersonal relationships that ultimately limit their advancement, you're naturally building the trust and connections that create sustainable career growth. The challenge isn't changing who you are—it's ensuring decision-makers see the full scope of your contributions and leadership potential.
Acess the Full Paper
Anderson, C., Sharps, L. D., Soto, J. C., & John, P. O. (2020). People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(37), 22780–22786. https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2005088117
💡 Can't access the paper? Here's how to get it legally (often free), and here's why it costs $40 in the first place.