AA243 - How Corporate Turns Good People Bad: The Neuroscience of Power Corruption

Episode notes

Does getting promoted literally rewire your brain to lose empathy? The science says YES. In this research-backed episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel examine the unsettling neuroscience behind why your favorite coworker turned into a corporate tyrant after their last promotion. Drawing from peer-reviewed studies in the Journal of Experimental Psychology and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, watch or listen as we explore three mechanisms that erode empathy in leadership positions (and talk through how to evade entropy). WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: • How power physically changes your brain chemistry and reduces your ability to read emotions • Why narcissistic individuals rise faster through corporate ranks (and how to spot them) • How socioeconomic class divides create empathy blind spots in leaders • Practical guardrails to maintain your integrity as you advance Whether you're a product manager, agile coach, or aspiring leader, this episode will help you recognize the warning signs of empathy erosion in yourself and others... before it's too late! Have you watched someone change after a promotion?

Related episodes across the Index

Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.

• "When a team knows the mission, they can move mountains" - Liz Harr of HingeLand and Lead · on Empathy in leadership78 / 100
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• Executive Presence Decoded: What It Really Is & How to Build It (in the AI Era)Here's the Deal · on Corporate Culture51 / 100
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