Snakes in Suits by Paul Babiak & Robert D. Hare Summary

Snakes in Suits exposes how psychopaths infiltrate corporate environments using charm, manipulation, and deceit. The book details their three-stage process (assessment, manipulation, abandonment) and explains how they damage morale, productivity, and organizational integrity. It also provides strategies to identify and neutralize these individuals, drawing on the B-Scan 360 assessment tool for workplace psychopathy.

This book is essential for corporate leaders, HR professionals, and employees seeking to safeguard their workplaces. It offers actionable insights for anyone navigating office politics, managing teams, or rebuilding trust after encountering manipulative colleagues. The revised edition is particularly valuable for understanding modern organizational dynamics.

Yes—it’s a critical resource for recognizing and mitigating psychopathic behavior in professional settings. The book combines research-backed analysis with real-world examples, offering tools like the Hare Psychopathy Checklist to assess risks. Its focus on ethical leadership and workplace safety makes it relevant for sustaining healthy corporate cultures.

Key red flags include superficial charm, lack of empathy, grandiose self-image, and manipulative tendencies. These individuals often exploit others through gaslighting, credit-stealing, and creating divisive office politics. They thrive in chaotic environments with minimal oversight.

Psychopaths use a five-phase method: entry (charm to gain access), assessment (identifying pawns/patrons), manipulation (spreading disinformation), confrontation (discrediting rivals), and ascension (seizing power). They leverage flattery, false alliances, and emotional exploitation to control others.

Dynamic, fast-paced sectors like finance, tech, and sales attract psychopaths due to loose hierarchies and high rewards for risk-taking. Large organizations with siloed teams and unclear reporting structures are especially susceptible.

Strategies include documenting interactions, avoiding emotional reactions, and building coalitions with trusted colleagues. The authors advise focusing on factual evidence during conflicts and limiting one-on-one interactions to reduce manipulation opportunities.

• “Psychopaths are social chameleons”: Highlights their ability to mimic empathy to blend in.
• “Your secrets are safe with me”: Illustrates false trust-building to exploit vulnerabilities.
• “The pleasure was mine”: Reflects their transactional view of relationships.

Yes, it recommends strict ethical guidelines, transparent promotion processes, and tools like the B-Scan 360 to screen for psychopathic traits. Encouraging teamwork over internal competition also reduces opportunities for manipulation.

Unlike general leadership guides, it specifically tackles psychopathy in corporate settings, blending criminology research with organizational psychology. It complements broader culture-focused works like The No Asshole Rule by addressing deliberate malice rather than accidental toxicity.

Some argue it oversimplifies psychopathy diagnosis or stigmatizes assertive leaders. Others note its solutions rely heavily on organizational vigilance, which may not address systemic issues enabling toxic behavior.

Babiak’s background in industrial-organizational psychology grounds the book in empirical data, including case studies of Fortune 500 companies. His collaboration with psychopathy expert Robert Hare strengthens its credibility.