The Light Triad May Bring Leadership With a Lighter Touch

People are often drawn to disturbing news, macabre, and tragedy. We often want to get a good look at other people’s misfortune as a way to perhaps protect ourselves against whatever tragedy they suffered. We like to try and make sense of the “why” behind catastrophe so that we can reassure ourselves that the same thing won’t happen to us.

The desire to focus on the negative, though, can lead us to some pretty dark places. Our fascination with the gruesome or the depraved acts of humanity can take a toll on our soul. According to Newton’s third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. All the energy focused on the dark side of life and human nature should encourage us to seek out the good and explore the light side.

The Dark Triad of personality traits—narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism—draw in curiosity seekers due to its sexy name. Narcissism is a trait we like to call out in others, even as we Facetune and fine-tune our social media highlight reels. We’re also a nation enthralled by psychopathic individuals, whether they are outright criminals or just users and abusers of rules or ethics, among others. Machiavellianism sounds intriguing as we imagine master manipulators getting the best of unsuspecting marks.

The Dark Triad describes people whose goals are personal gratification and success with no concern for how their success negatively affects others. They are cold, deceitful, self-centered, entitled, amoral, and impulsive. Fortunately, they don’t tend to stay in one place too long.

There’s another triad, the Light Triad, that has begun to come into focus. It stands in stark contrast to the Dark Triad, and perhaps it’s a constellation of traits that are worth our attention and our cultivation.

The Light Triad?

At what might seem like the opposite end of the spectrum, there is a Light Triad. While it is not exactly “the opposite,” it comprises three positive, beneficent qualities. The Light Triad personality describes a person who embodies a loving and beneficial orientation toward the world and is juxtaposed against the malevolence of the Dark Triad. The Light Triad is comprised of three traits: humanism, Kantianism, and faith in humanity.

Humanism. A person’s belief that everyone possesses and deserves dignity, and that all people have value and worth.

Kantianism. How a person treats others and reflects holding a sense of obligation to help our fellow humans when they are in need.

Faith in humanity. The practice of seeing the best in people and the belief that the majority of people in the world are good.

While so much of the world seems obsessed with the failures of others and the darkness of human behavior, people whose personalities reflect the Light Triad aren’t hanging with that crowd. Their energy is devoted to building up healthy affiliations with others—and unlike those who fall toward the Dark Triad, these folks are more likely to trust others. They are happier and feel better about themselves (Neumann et al., 2020). When you believe the world is a good place, it’s easier to feel good about your circumstances and yourself.

Light-Handed Leadership

Light Triad individuals are also considered to be adept at agile leadership (Kaletta & Reuther, 2021). With qualities that reflect empathy, respect for others, responsiveness, and appreciation, their personalities reflect congruence with the key aspects of agile leadership that include responding effectively to shifts in the environment in ways that reflect cohesion and collaboration among team members.

While Dark Triad qualities may be higher in younger adults and in males, Light Triad traits are present to some degree in virtually everyone, suggesting that there is indeed good in everyone, and giving credence to the Light Triad belief that there is reason to have faith in humanity.

Light Triad individuals are more likely to be spiritually inclined, perhaps reflecting their sense of connection to others and a feeling of personal transcendence. Light Triad individuals are more accepting of others, more open to new experiences, and more conscientious. There’s more of a focus on improving the world and the lives of others than a narrower focus on improving the size of one’s portfolio or making one’s own life easier.

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Light Versus Dark, Young Versus Old?

As Baby Boomers begin to pass on their posts to the next generation, there may be a comforting transition to leadership by millennials. This generation of new leaders will be bringing a style of leadership, with aspects that evoke the Light Triad traits (Rohrich & Rodriguez, 2020). These include:

• Commitment to collaboration. This speaks to the desire for affiliation and the belief that all team members are worthy.
• Optimism and desire for success. This describes the positive outlook and self-worth that typify the Light Triad personality.
• Honesty and authenticity. This reflects Kantianism and the importance of how we treat others and show up for others.
• Better balance between work and home life. This may be an outgrowth of the Light Triad person’s valuing of the whole person.

Finding Your Own Balance

If you feel that you’re too far on the "dark side" for comfort, research suggests that this is a fixable issue—even if it’s not what you’re aiming to fix. Hudson (2022) found that when people engage in altruistic acts, such as helping others and doing the right thing even when the wrong thing might be appealing, their Dark Triad traits decrease. Altruism not only leaves its beneficiaries feeling good, but it also gives the benefactor a positive jolt, perhaps sparking a draft to the Light Triad side.