In business magazines at that time, there were a lot of “superstar CEOs,” people who were narcissistic and grandiose, and who actively promoted themselves. Narcissists are skilled public speakers and creative strategists. They have a clear vision and a strong ability to attract and inspire followers.
Narcissism can be a good thing to have as a leader, but it doesn’t mean you can’t use it in a good way.
People who are CEOs in today’s businesses are doing things that are new and different than they used to. You can compare them to the CEOs who ran big businesses from the 1950s to the 1980s. Executives from these companies didn’t want to talk to the media. They had their words carefully written by corporate PR departments.
This isn’t true for CEOs today. They hire their own publicists, write books, give interviews on the spur of the moment, and actively promote their own philosophies. Each time a magazine like BusinessWeek or Time or the Economist comes out, their faces are on the cover.
Our public and personal agendas, on the other hand, seem to be more and more in the hands of businesspeople around the world. They tell schools what kids should learn, and they tell lawmakers how to spend the public’s money. In everything from the future of shopping to where to go on vacation, we ask them for their thoughts and ideas about what the future holds.
Is narcissistic leadership successful leadership?
Seeing why narcissistic leadership doesn’t always lead to good leadership is easy to understand. The case of Volvo’s Pehr Gyllenhammar might help you think about this: He had a dream that appealed to a wide range of people from all over the world. In Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, he made fun of the dehumanizing assembly line. He came up with a plan to change the industrial workplace by replacing the line with a humane one. His vision was so popular that it called for team-based work.
Model factories were built and made famous around the world. But his success in pushing through these big changes also set the stage for him to fall.
Gyllenhammar started to think that he could not pay attention to the concerns of his operational managers any longer. He made risky and costly business deals that he talked about on TV and in the news. On one level, you can say that Gyllenhammar’s falling out of touch with his workers was because he used a bad strategy.
But it could also be because he is a narcissistic person. It was because he thought he was better than he was that he thought people would want him to be the czar of an international business. In turn, these fantasies led him to want to merge with Renault, which was very unpopular with Swedish workers. Because Gyllenhammar didn’t pay attention to people complaining about Renault, Swedish managers had to make their case in front of the whole country to get attention. In the end, shareholders were very angry with Gyllenhammar’s plan, so he had to resign.
If a lot of people at the top of businesses are narcissists these days, it’s important for businesses to make sure that these people don’t self-destruct or lead the company to disaster. Narcissists find it very hard to work through their problems, and it’s almost impossible for them to do it alone. That can take a lot of work, though.
There are people who can help you break free from your narcissism, like friends and even therapists! But because they are so independent and self-protective, it is very hard to get close to them. Kohut said that a therapist would have to show a lot of empathy and sympathy for the narcissist’s feelings in order to earn his trust. To make things even worse for narcissists, they need to know that they can use help. In order for employees to be able to recognize and work with narcissistic bosses, they need to learn how to do both.
There are some good things about the Narcissistic Leader, too.
When it comes to being a leader, a narcissistic personality type can be useful. Erotic personalities usually don’t do well as managers because they need too much approval. Obsessives are better leaders because they are your operational managers, people who are critical and cautious. But narcissists are the ones who look the closest to what we think of as great leaders. There are two reasons for this: they have compelling, even gripping, visions for businesses, and they have a way to get people to follow them.
A very good idea.
As a manager, I once asked a group of people what a “leader” was. “A person with vision” was the most common answer. They understand the vision thing very well, because they are by nature people who see the big picture. If you want to break down big problems into smaller ones, you don’t want these people. They aren’t number crunchers, either (these are usually the obsessives). They also don’t try to predict the future, but they try to make it happen. Those who are narcissists, on the other hand, see things that never were and ask why not.
What do you think about the difference between Bob Allen and Mike Armstrong? When Allen tried to make AT&T bigger in 1997, he tried to make the Bell System work again by selling local service from the regional Bell operating companies to AT&T, which would make the whole system work again (RBOCs). This was a good thing for shareholders and customers, but it wasn’t very important. Mike Armstrong, on the other hand, has “created a new space with his name on it” by combining voice, telecommunications, and Internet access through high-speed broadband telecommunications over cable, as one of his coworkers puts it. An expensive strategy will win out over the RBOC’s cheaper plan to run digital subscriber lines over copper wire. This example shows how obsessives and narcissists think in different ways. Many obsessives wouldn’t be able to take the risk that Armstrong did, but not many people would be willing to. A lot of people are excited about his ideas for AT&T. Who else could do this? He said this: “Revolutions are ideal for soldiers with a lot of wit and the courage to act.” Napoléon, who was very self-centered, said this.
Narcissists have a lot of chances that they wouldn’t have in normal times. The world is changing in ways that are out of this world. They have the chance to change the rules of the game. He is the CEO of Monsanto, and he is a very important person in the world of farming. Changing the DNA of crops would be “the single most successful introduction of technology in the history of agriculture, even the plow” (New York Times, August 5, 1999). Many people aren’t sure about the safety or public acceptance of genetically modified fruits and vegetables. This is a very big claim. But some industries, like farming, are desperate for a big change. If Shapiro’s bet is successful, the industry will look like Monsanto. That’s why he can paint a picture of Monsanto as a profitable “life sciences” company, even though Monsanto’s stock has dropped 12% since 1998 to the end of the third quarter of this year. (During the same time, the S&P rose 41%.) Armstrong and Shapiro didn’t have to do much to win a game that was mostly about the stock market. Bob Allen did. Narcissistic leaders, on the other hand, are looking for more than that. Because they want to and need to leave a legacy, they want to do this.
Narcissists can see, but that’s not enough. People who are in mental hospitals also have dreams. Simple: A leader is someone who other people follow. Indeed, narcissists are very good at getting people to follow them. Most of the time, they do this through language. It is thought that words can move mountains and that inspirational speeches can make people change. Narcissists believe that this is true. Narcissistic leaders can be very good public speakers, and this is one of the things that makes them so appealing to people. Narcissists, on the other hand, have a strong personal magnetism that draws people to them and makes them excited.
Despite what most people think, this charismatic gift is more of a two-way deal than most people believe. Narcissistic leaders are very dependent on their followers, even though it isn’t always clear. They need to be told how good they are, and preferably how great they are. Think of Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches or J.F.K.’s “Ask not what your country can do for you” inaugural address, and you’ll know what I mean. The adulation that comes after these speeches boosts the speaker’s self-confidence and faith. Ross Perot, for example, became very insecure, loud, and persistent when no one responded to him.
Even if people like a narcissist, there are risks. That’s because charisma is a double-edged sword: It can both make people close and keep them apart. As he becomes more confident, the narcissist is more likely to act on impulse. Because he has no rules, he is free. Ideas move. He thinks he can’t be hurt. This gives his followers even more energy and confidence. But the very attention that the narcissist wants can be bad for you. As he grows, he pays less attention to words of caution and advice. After all, he has been right before when other people had doubts. When people don’t agree with him, he doesn’t try to get them to change their minds. This makes him even more isolated. Sometimes, people take risks that can be very risky, which can end in disaster. When it comes to politics, there is no better example than Bill Clinton of this than there is.
The Narcissistic Leader has flaws.
People who are narcissists are usually uncomfortable with their own emotions, even though their charisma can make people feel warm inside. They only listen for the kind of information they want to find out, not for general information. They don’t easily learn from other people. To them, it’s not fun to teach, but they like to indoctrinate and give speeches instead. They are in charge of meetings with subordinates. For the organization, this means that everyone will be more competitive at a time when everyone is already under a lot of stress. Perhaps the main problem is that the narcissist’s flaws tend to get worse as he gets more successful, which makes them even worse.
He is sensitive to criticism.
Because they are very sensitive, narcissistic leaders don’t want to deal with any emotions at all. Indeed, one of the biggest paradoxes in this age of teamwork and partnering is that the best corporate leader in the modern world is the kind of person who doesn’t connect with other people. Narcissistic leaders usually keep other people at arm’s length. It would be hard for them to put up a wall of defense as thick as the Pentagon. And because they have a hard time knowing or acknowledging their own feelings, they don’t like it when other people do the same.
That’s true, even people who are very good at being narcissists are very sensitive to criticism or slights, which they see as knives that could hurt their self-esteem and confidence in their ideas. Narcissists are so thin-skinned that it’s hard to believe. As in the story of the princess who slept on many mattresses and still knew she was sleeping on the pea, even powerful CEOs get hurt. They don’t want to know what people think of them unless it’s a real problem. They don’t like when people disagree. In fact, they can be very mean to people who don’t believe them or people who are strong enough to fight back. Steve Jobs, for example, shames his subordinates in front of other people. They say they want to work together, but what that really means in practice is that they want a group of people who agree with them. It becomes a problem when more independent-minded people leave or are kicked out.
People who don’t listen.
One big problem with this is that narcissistic leaders often don’t listen when they feel threatened or attacked, so they don’t listen. This is how one CEO who worked with me for three years responded when I asked to interview his team and report back what they thought. He asked me to come to his summer home to talk about what I had found. he asked, “So, what do they think of me?” “They think you are very creative and brave, but they also think that you don’t listen,” I told him. What did you say? “Excuse me, what did you say?” His response was both funny and sad.
Because this CEO found my criticism too painful to deal with, he could not listen to it. Some narcissists are so protective that they even make a point of not listening to people. In the words of another CEO, “I didn’t get to where I am by listening to people!” Indeed, when this CEO came up with a new strategy, none of his subordinates thought it would work. His subsequent success made him even more sure that he didn’t need to learn about strategy from his lieutenants. In other words, narcissistic leaders don’t have a reason not to listen because they’ve done well.
People who don’t have empathy
The best-selling company Today, writers are using the phrase “emotional competencies,” which means that they think that being a good leader requires having a strong sense of empathy. But even though they want to be liked by others, productive narcissists are not known for being very empathetic. Even Bill Gates and Andy Grove, two of the world’s most well-known and successful narcissists, don’t have empathy. Of course, leaders need to be able to speak in a way that is effective. Some of history’s most narcissistic leaders didn’t have empathy, but they still knew how to communicate and inspire people. Neither Churchill, de Gaulle, Stalin, or Mao Tse-tung was kind. So even though they were passionate and had a lot of faith at a time when people wanted to know more, they still made people want to know more.
In fact, when there is a lot of change, not being empathetic can be a good thing. They find it easier to buy and sell businesses, move facilities, and lay off workers than other people. These decisions always make a lot of people angry and sad, but narcissists are better at making them than other people. Narcissistic leaders, on the other hand, have few regrets. If a CEO were to pay attention to what his employees want and need, he would be eaten alive.
It’s not surprising that narcissistic leaders don’t get very good grades for their interpersonal style because they don’t care about other people. Another thing that won’t happen is that 360-degree evaluations of their management style or workshops on listening won’t make them more empathic. Narcissists don’t want to change, and as long as they’re successful, they don’t think they have to do anything about it, even though they should. That kind of training isn’t for them.
Some people who are narcissists have some kind of emotional intelligence. It’s a lot like street smarts, not empathy. Narcissistic leaders are very aware of whether or not people are fully behind them. They know who they can get help from. They can be very cruel to people. That’s why, even though narcissists have a lot of “star quality,” they can be hard to like. Narcissists are very good at stirring people up against them, and it is only when there is a lot going on that people are willing to let them be leaders.
Narcissistic leaders say that they want to work with other people. They want a group of people who agree with them.
Mentoring is not something that you like to do.
Lack of empathy and extreme independence make it hard for narcissists to be mentored and be mentored by other people. Generally, narcissistic leaders don’t put a lot of value on mentoring. They don’t usually help other people, and when they do, they usually want their protégés to look like them. People like Jack Welch, who are seen as strong mentors, tend to be more interested in teaching people than coaching them.
Narcissists aren’t going to give credit to mentoring or educational programs for their own growth as leaders. People like Bill Gates who are very self-centered may have a friend or consultant who they can trust to be their guide and confidant. Warren Buffet, a superproductive obsessive, is one of them. But most narcissists want “mentors” that they can control. Marketing vice president, 32: She told me that she didn’t want her boss to be her mentor. She was a narcissist who had the potential to be CEO one day. The way she said it, “First of all, I want to keep the relationship separate.” There are some things that I don’t want to be swayed by. Second, I don’t want him to know things I don’t like. I’d rather pay someone else to be my coach. The leaders of narcissistic groups seem to be at ease with other people. Intimacy, which is a prerequisite for mentoring, is hard for them. Younger narcissists will form friendships with people who have power rather than seek a parent-like mentoring relationship. They want to get something done and are willing to risk arguing with people who have power.
Desire to Compete in a Big Way.
In order to win, narcissistic leaders are relentless and ruthless in their quest. Tests of their ability to stay alive are not games, but rather tests of their ability to play. If you’re a good manager, you want to be the best. Narcissists, on the other hand, don’t care about morals. Organizations run by narcissists usually have a lot of internal competition. There is both the promise of glory and a primitive risk of not being able to live if they win. It is a potent drink that can get businesses going and make them feel like they need to act quickly, but it can also be dangerous. They see everything as a threat. As Andy Grove says, “Only the paranoid survive.” This is a great way to describe the narcissist’s fear, distrust, and aggression. Is it possible that the narcissist will find enemies that aren’t there? Even among his coworkers.
