Jonathon Grantham

Have you ever watched an office favorite jump from promotion to promotion and felt the disappointment and betrayal of knowing this person is a con artist, a red flag, a morally bankrupt, toxic excuse for a human being? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. This is a universal experience for anyone who has worked in a large corporation.

Corporate Sociopath Handbook does more than simply explore and expose. It gives you the strategies and techniques to effortlessly ascend. Senior business consultant Jonathon Grantham has spent decades in the middle of these mind games. Whether it’s psychological power plays, clandestine information gathering or brutal public executions, there is very little he has not seen.

Starting with the “Dark Five” personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and spitefulness, Jonathon moves from theory to application. Chapters on deception and data manipulation detail how information is withheld, reshaped, or leaked to rewrite reality. Sections on psychological warfare dissect gaslighting, hero-ideology cultivation, and the subtle undermining strategies that break a rival’s confidence. Later, the spotlight widens to structural tactics: gaming performance metrics, weaponising internal policies, exploiting bureaucratic systems, and even turning diversity and inclusion initiatives into a tool of union-busting.

This book is not just a celebration of ruthlessness. The final third is devoted to defensive strategy: ethical counter-moves, speak-up cultures, whistle-blower protections, and the paper trails that keep honest professionals safe in a viper pit. Throughout, Grantham warns that many of the techniques discussed are immoral and often illegal. Examples are included to help readers recognise them in practice rather than repeat them.

Written in a light and easy style, this handbook serves three audiences: ambitious players who want to get to the top no matter what it takes, the honest hard workers who want to survive the games, and the psychologically curious who are interested in human behaviour.

Whether you work in the corporate world or know someone who does, this book will help you understand the hidden games behind success. It will make a bigger difference to your earnings than any degree or course. The world isn’t fair, and these techniques are rarely shared or openly discussed.

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