Power struggles among nice people
<i>&gt; Further, note the importance of impulse control in the most effective senior leaders. An alternative pattern of traits identified by McClelland was 1) a high need for power, 2) a low need for affiliation, and 3) a low degree of impulse control, which he called &quot;conquistador syndrome.&quot; [17] Leaders who exhibit this pattern may enjoy some success, but their self-aggrandizing displays of power limit their effectiveness at senior levels, as McClelland and his colleague David Burnham concluded in a summary of their research</i><p>It may limit their effectiveness, but that doesn&#x27;t mean they can&#x27;t win.<p>There is no shortage of extremely visible role models who exhibit &quot;conquistador syndrome&quot;, and their influence across society is creating a cohort of small business owners and professional people managers I&#x27;ve started calling the &quot;petty  bourgeoisie&quot; -- members of the upper middle and lower upper classes who are, well, petty.<p>As a direct result of these personalities winning out time and time again, American society is starting to develop a distinct &quot;Après moi, le déluge&quot; feel.