Narcissistic Leadership And Business Growth

“Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice.” — Henry Ford

Photo by Foto Sushi on Unsplash

Because a narcissistic character is not what you want to have in your organization, paying extra attention to the selection and hiring processes is of utmost importance. This is why I always believe that it is the founders and co-founders that should select the right candidate for their companies, when it comes to sensitive positions — ones that require leadership and can affect their business development and progress.

So,

That delicate and highly important role should definitely be performed by a true leader — one who is endowed with pure leadership. What it takes to find that great candidate who fits in such a position is a true leader involved in the hiring process, indeed. Hiring a narcissist for leadership positions is the trap in which many companies fall.

“Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.” — Donald Rumsfeld

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty!

Why is narcissism mistaken as leadership?

To the simple-minded, a narcissist might look courageous, bold, and self-confident. They might reflect that they are the most suitable person for a particular leadership role. The most misleading feature narcissistic leaders boast of is their ability to persuade and win arguments every time they are involved in a negotiation process.

People who are unaware of how the dynamics of a narcissist work might be like: “Wow, this person is really strong, I wanna learn from them how to act and react.” Hence, many people end up imitating and copying a narcissistic behavior from a narcissist present in their work environment.

Who is the narcissist?

Narcissistic personality disorder — one of several types of personality disorders — is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism. — Mayoclini.org

Many companies and businesses of all sizes are led by narcissists, and we can see them working as bosses, managers, and responsibles. Their positions add an extra degree of inflation to their already gigantic ego, which can make them gain their employers’ appreciation. If a company’s CEO is a narcissist as well, chances are they would definitely root for the behavior of their narcissistic managers and take pride in their work. Hence, the onset of the vicious cyrcle of toxicity.

There are many traits that can help you tell if you are dealing with a narcissist. In the business-leadership context, the narcissistic traits that you can detect are mainly:

Difficulty of regulating behavior and emotionsImpatience or angryReacting with rage and contemptConstant interruptions in conversations — no respect for conversational turn-takingNarrow point of view presented as the truthCompetitiveness in arguments — hating the person who wins an argument against them.Passive listening — listening to respond instead of listening to understandPassive aggressive behaviorCrying and yellingLooking so confident and strongWanting more and more attention from othersLeaving no room for healthy disagreement and opposing viewsBlaming others for how they feelLove bombing you to the point that you think they are amazing people with an amazing characterLacking empathy

“Nobody can be kinder than the narcissist while you react to life on his terms.” — Elizabeth Bowen

We don’t want to quantify the many negative traits of a narcissist as much as we want to be able to recognize the very personality type when it comes to business life. After all, we want to have good people around us to contribute to the growth of our business. This is not to say that narcissists are bad people; but, truth be told, they can transform your business environment into one that suits their toxic energy. Is this bad? Hell, yes!

The biggest loss a narcissistic leader can cause is the loss of great employees, potential customers, and interesting growth opportunities. Things that do not seem to correspond to the narcissist’s terms are always considered of less importance. For instance, what might look like a good idea for some team members, might be seen as the total opposite for their narcissistic manager, only because the idea does not resonate with them. This is destructive.

“The narcissist devours people, consumes their output, and casts the empty, writhing shells aside.” — Sam Vaknin

Many great employees leave their jobs because of narcissistic managers and bosses. Why? Creative and hard-working people, mainly those who have a great reservoir of empathy, will get exhausted at the end of the day, not only because of the narcissistic behavior, which is not always called into play, especially in the remote work context, but by their mere presence in the work environment.

The energy a narcissist carries is the problem. It is not solely their behavior that affects the work environment. It is their aura. Their energy affects the senses. Hence, it can lead to undesired consequences. You might find out that people feel embarrassed or intimidated in the presence of the narcissist — by their eye gaze, voice, or posture, interventions, etc.

Narcissistic leaders hinder business growth

Before questioning your business idea and vision and deciding whether the approach followed is the correct one or not, it is a must that you ask yourself the following questions: Which energy is my business led by? Is it an energy of love and peace? Is it an energy of chaos and disorder? Is my business blessed with the energy of its leaders?

Sounds too spiritual, right? Well, yeah, that’s how successful businesses climb the ladder of progress. They hire and fire accordingly. They evaluate and re-evaluate based on their main goal — healthy success.

Getting rid of unhealthy energy in your teams requires a change in the dynamics of the company. Leadership becomes void of its meaning and value if it depletes your business of its sense of alignment and resources.

Narcissists are energy vampires. They like to suck others’ energy in all possible ways; you might not want them in your aura. Every role that requires meeting clients and customers on a regular basis should be given to the right people. Leadership roles can decide the future of your company. You might want to give your business leading team a makeover.

Let’s connect! Subscribe to my mailing list