Narcissistic Leaders

HDCS 4393/4394Internship

Dr. Shirley Ezell

Many Leaders Today have a Narcissistic Personality

Narcissists have always emerged to inspire people and to shape the future.

There is a dark side to narcissism: these leaders are emotionally isolated and highly distrustful with perceived threats in many areas.

Freud named this type after the mythical figure Narcissus who died because of his pathological preoccupation with himself.

Productive Narcissists Leaders such as Jack Welch and George Soros are

examples of productive narcissists because they are creative strategists who see the big picture and find meaning in the challenge of changing the world and leaving a legacy.

Productive narcissists are not only risk takers willing to get the job done but also charmers who can convert the masses with their rhetoric.

The danger is that narcissism can turn unproductive when, if they lack self-knowledge and restraining anchors. In this case, narcissists become unrealistic dreamers.

The Challenges of Working with Narcissists

Ensure that such leaders do not self-destruct or lead the company to disaster.

It is very hard for narcissists to work through the issues. And virtually impossible for them to do it alone.

They need colleagues and therapists if they hope to break free from their limitations.

It is very difficult to get near them. And they must recognize they can benefit from help.

For employees, they must learn to work around them.

Three Main Personality Types

Three Types (From Freud)- Erotic- Obsessive- Narcissistic.

Most of us have elements of all 3 types.

Erotic

Erotic personalities are ones for whom loving and above all being loved is most important. This individual is dependent on those people they fear will stop loving them. As managers, they are caring and supportive, they avoid conflict, and make people dependent on them. Many erotic personalities are teachers, nurses, and social workers.

Obsessives, Narcissistics, and Fromm’s 4th Personality Type

Obsessives are inner-directed, self-reliant, and conscientious. They create and maintain order and make the most effective operational managers. The best obsessives set high standards and communicate very effectively. The unproductive and the uncooperative become narrow experts and rule-bound bureaucrats.

Productive narcissists understand the vision particularly well, they are not analyzers who can break up big questions into manageable problems, nor do they try to extrapolate to understand the future; they try to create it.

Fromm described a 4th personality, a person that is more detached, motivated by a radar like anxiety. And they excel at selling themselves to others. Unproductive marketing types lack direction and the ability to commit themselves to people or projects.

Weaknesses of the Narcissistic Leader Typically not comfortable with their own emotions and

they listen only for the kind of information they seek. They don’t learn easily from others. They don’t like to teach but prefer to indoctrinate and

make speeches and dominate meetings with subordinates.

The main problem is that their faults tend to become more pronounced as they become more successful.

They are thin-skinned, they do not want to know what people think of them, cannot tolerate dissent, and are extremely abrasive with employees who doubt them.

Often they are poor listeners, lack empathy, have a distaste of mentoring, and an intense desire to compete.

Avoiding the traps A narcissistic leader can find a trusted

sidekick, can convert others to think the way they do by indoctrinating the organization and then get into analysis.

How do your work for a Narcissistic? Empathize with your boss’s feelings, give your boss ideas, hone your time, management skills and be prepared to get out.