Narcissistic Leaders Often Fall, In Time

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Written by Melissa Wheeler, Ph.D. and Saima Ahmad, Ph.D.

Why do some emerge to leadership but then lose it?

This intriguing question was posed by Western University’s Jennifer Lynch and associate professor Alex Benson in a recently published Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin article.

Narcissism can play a role.

While narcissistic traits, such as social boldness, confidence, or charm may help people to rise into leadership positions, these same traits can also lead to their downfall.

According to Lynch and Benson, when subordinates detect the levels of self-interest and the lack of concern for others, narcissistic leaders may not be perceived as effective.

Signs of a Narcissistic Leader

A narcissistic leader is someone who exaggerates their accomplishments, even if that means taking credit for yours. They may overestimate and confidently overstate their value and impact on the organization.

This kind of leader expects special treatment, feels entitled to all the windfalls and accolades, and is more interested in their ego than in the well-being of their team. These individuals, typically characterized by dominance, self-obsession, grandiosity, and low empathy, can create a hostile and miserable work environment.

You can recognize a narcissistic leader by the following character traits:

Grandiosity and a sense of superiority

Narcissistic leaders have an inflated sense of their value and may exhibit a dismissive attitude toward others. Narcissists perceive themselves as special and unique and desperately need validation of their perceived superiority.

Strong sense of entitlement

Narcissistic leaders believe they deserve special treatment and get frustrated when they don't get it. This, combined with their charisma, can create an environment where some followers are drawn to the leader's charm and avoid challenging their authority.

Manipulation and exploitation

Narcissistic leaders can even exhibit manipulative tendencies, using charm and deception to achieve their goals. According to personality researcher Michael Maccoby, narcissistic leaders can exhibit psychopathic traits, such as deceitfulness, manipulation, and ruthlessness. They may be willing to use these tactics to achieve their goals or take advantage of others for personal gain.

Why Organizations Should Be Concerned

You may have noticed some of these leadership tactics in your workplace, such as a boss who is obsessed with how others see them.

Narcissistic leadership can have several negative organizational outcomes, especially without early detection:

Decreased employee morale and job satisfaction

Narcissistic leadership creates a harmful environment that elevates job stress, diminishes employee well-being, and leads to poor job satisfaction, higher absenteeism, and greater turnover rates. This results in reduced performance, lower productivity, and stifled collaboration and creativity in the teams they lead. All this boils down to a significant waste of human potential.

Bullying

Research indicates that destructive and narcissistic leaders contribute to higher instances of workplace bullying, as their inflated egos, lack of empathy, gaslighting behaviors, and tendency to micromanage can create a harmful work environment.

Reputational Damage

Narcissistic leaders can tarnish an organization’s internal and external reputation through unethical actions. Organizations such as Enron, Theranos, and Worldcom demonstrate the destructive potential of narcissistic leadership. These examples show that leadership cultivated a culture of bullying and fear, which discouraged employees from challenging unethical behavior, ultimately leading to their collapse.

Narcissism Essential Reads

Love and Narcissism?

5 Parenting Rules of a Narcissist

Tips for Coping with Narcissistic Leaders

If you are working for a narcissistic leader, it is important to take steps to protect yourself and mitigate the negative impact on your well-being. Here are some strategies:

• Protect yourself: Establish clear boundaries and limits on the behavior you will tolerate.
• Manage your interactions: Prepare for meetings by anticipating topics, questions, and potential conflicts. Make sure to use effective communication techniques to minimize conflicts. Keep written notes of interactions in case you ever need evidence of toxic interactions.
• Maintain emotional distance: Stay objective and use the grey rock technique, which involves remaining neutral so that the abuser will lose interest in you and limiting exposure to the narcissistic leader's behavior. Your emotional detachment using the grey rock technique neutralizes narcissistic manipulation.
• Seek support: Find a mentor, colleague, or people and culture team you can trust and disclose the inappropriate behavior. Share the log you have kept of evidence of the repeated nature of these offenses.
• Consider exit strategies: If the situation becomes unbearable, it may be necessary to seek employment elsewhere. Evaluate options (weigh the pros and cons of staying or leaving), prepare for potential job changes, and explore companies with healthier cultures.

Narcissistic and manipulative leaders can be difficult to work with or work under. As evidenced by recent research, people working with a narcissistic leader will eventually come to recognize the leader’s self-interest and lose faith in their leadership style.

By recognizing the signs and taking proactive steps to protect yourself as early as possible, you can minimize the negative impacts of this dark leadership style. It is important to remember that dealing with a narcissistic leader can be emotionally draining and may have long-lasting effects on individuals' well-being. Proactively protecting yourself and seeking support is key to your health and happiness.