Born global firms move fast, take risks, and commit to foreign markets quickly. Behind many of them is a CEO whose personality researchers are only beginning to understand, and who is probably not the type you would aspire to.

Our new article published in the Journal of International Management examines what drives this kind of boldness. We focus on “born globals,” companies that venture into international markets almost immediately after founding, bypassing the slow, step-by-step path to global expansion that traditional theory predicts. Fast-moving tech start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures that seem to go international overnight are good examples of these types of firms.

The Dark Triad

The “dark triad” refers to three personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These are well-documented in the psychology literature as associated with manipulation, exploitation, and harm. But research also shows that in certain high-pressure, high-uncertainty environments, the same traits can produce behaviors that benefit firms, at least in the short term.

Narcissistic leaders crave recognition and prestige. They tend to be bold and persuasive, and they are skilled at mobilizing resources and inspiring stakeholders around ambitious goals. Machiavellian leaders are strategic, calculating, and highly adaptable. They read situations carefully, manage relationships with precision and manipulation. Psychopathic leaders tend to be fearless and decisive, with a high tolerance for risk and little remorse or emotion.

Why Born Globals?

Early and rapid internationalization is genuinely risky. Small, resource-constrained firms are entering unfamiliar markets, navigating regulatory and cultural barriers, and competing against larger competitors. Dark triad CEOs are drawn to exactly this kind of high-stakes, high-reward environment. The narcissist sees global expansion as a vehicle for status and recognition. The Machiavellian treats international complexity as a strategic puzzle. The psychopath is simply undeterred by the uncertainty and setbacks involved.

But personality doesn’t get a firm to international markets. A key variable in our model is dynamic capabilities – the firm’s ability to explore new opportunities, exploit existing strengths, and reconfigure how it balances these activities as conditions change. We argue that dark triad CEOs actively cultivate these capabilities in their firms, and that it is through this pathway that their personalities translate into organizational action.

What’s New about This?

Most internationalization research focuses on the visible, measurable attributes of CEOs: their networks, their experience, education. Research on the personality side has mostly looked at narcissism, and mostly in large firms. We take a broader view, examining all three dark triad traits, and focus specifically on born globals, where CEO influence is more direct and more consequential than in large, bureaucratic organizations, as, to give one example, they are more likely to go unchecked.

We also reframe reconfiguration as central to our model. Balancing exploration and exploitation, deciding when to act on what you know and when to venture into the unknown, is a critical capability. And in small firms, it is the CEO who drives it.

What Should Business Leaders Take Away?

If you are on the board of a young, internationally ambitious firm, the personality of your CEO matters more than you might think. Dark triad traits are associated with real risks: toxic cultures, short-term thinking, and decisions driven by personal ambition rather than organizational strategy. We are not arguing that these traits are desirable. But we do argue that boards and investors need to understand them, because there are many such CEOs, and some of them are taking firms global faster than anyone expected.

Whether there’s any positive to having a dark triad CEO at the helm is debatable. We are increasingly seeing what unchecked executive ambition, risk and indifference to consequences can produce: environmental destruction driven by the relentless pursuit of growth, exploitative labour practices in global supply chains, tax avoidance strategies that strip resources from the countries where firms operate, and a pattern of market dominance that crushes smaller competitors and erodes local economies. The very traits that accelerate internationalization are also the traits that tend to externalise costs onto workers, communities, and the environment.

The international business literature treats rapid internationalization as an aspiration. But there are consequences. Firms racing to go global, grow fast, and maximise returns have damaged communities and the environment with little accountability. International business research has largely looked the other way, and dark triad CEOs are certainly not going to change that.

Nooshabadi, J.E., Mockaitis, A.I., & Chugh, R. (2025). Dark triad personality traits and born global internationalization. Journal of International Management, 31, 101309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2025.101309

Further reading:

Snakes in Suits, Revised Edition: Understanding and Surviving the Psychopaths in Your Office

The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy in Everyday Life

The Dark Triad: Psychopaths, Narcissists and Machiavellians in the Workplace

Born Global Firms: A New International Enterprise