A lot of human status is based on primate signaling, not merit or usefulness, nor kindness or trustworthiness. It’s based in the brain stem, not the neocortex.
I have met useless, dumb or insane, but charismatic people who can instantly be in charge of any room they walk into. It is not rational. It’s monkey stuff. One of them is currently the President of the USA, and truth be told I think most presidents have these qualities to varying degrees. (The current one is just a very pure example.)
That being said, it doesn’t always work. It tends to work best on people who are inexperienced or who have some emotional need for a parent figure. But that's a lot of people.
I have met useless, dumb or insane, but charismatic people who can instantly be in charge of any room they walk into. It is not rational. It’s monkey stuff. One of them is currently the President of the USA, and truth be told I think most presidents have these qualities to varying degrees. (The current one is just a very pure example.)
That being said, it doesn’t always work. It tends to work best on people who are inexperienced or who have some emotional need for a parent figure. But that's a lot of people.