More importantly, where were really smart non-psychopathic people in charge? Psychopaths crave power, and intelligence allows them to get it. Smart people in general (and especially the smartest of the smart) tend to dislike any authority in their lives, even the kind wielded by them.

This poor dude is actually a case in point. He could not even allow himself the small bit of authority needed to stand up for himself and not get kicked out of college. I imagine that to him, working with shitkickers is a bit like working with plants.