Narcissistic
Leaders
HDCS 4393/4394
Internship
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 4 th 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.