Narcissist Management Style

Several management styles have been prevailing in the business world from the very start. One of which is the narcissist management style. In simple words, the narcissist management style is the leadership style in which the manager or leader is solely interested in himself only. Narcissist managers see themselves as “SUPERSTARS”. They are self-reliant and cannot be simply impressed. They are risk-takers, driven in the corporate world to achieve power and praise. Most narcissists are the master of their field. They want to learn everything about their company and product. They are highly remote and distrustful beings.

Narcissists are creative and excellent strategists. They possess a bird’s eye view and can see the big picture. With the help of their creative minds, they always try to bring changes in the world by making innovations in their field. Regardless of their charismatic personality, there is a dark side of narcissists that makes them unloved and unwanted. Narcissists are poor listeners. They only listen to the type of information that they want. They are not easily ready to learn from others.

They don’t want to coach but prefer to dictate. In short, narcissists are the persons that want to be praised not loved.

Attributes of a Narcissist Manager

Narcissist managers dominate their subordinates. They create an environment of extreme internal competitiveness which results in great pressure on the workers to prove themselves. Some common features of a narcissist manager are:

•    Lacking empathy: 

Lack of empathy is indeed one of the drawbacks of many successful narcissists like Bill

Gates and Andy Grove. A narcissist manager is usually unempathetic. Narcissists don’t ought to change themselves that’s why neither their evaluation of interpersonal style nor attending workshops will make them empathetic.

•    Poor listeners: 

Narcissist managers often don’t listen when they feel intimidated or attacked. This type of manager does not listen to everyone or everything they only opt to listen to the information that they consider worth listening to from their point of view. This makes them unloved by their peer and subordinates.

•    Highly competitive: 

Narcissist managers are persistent and vengeful in their search for success. No doubt all efficient Managers want to win but the narcissistic manager makes victory the matter of life and death. They are even not restricted by conscience. Companies that are led by narcissists, therefore, experience intense internal competition. It is a great strength that energizes companies, creating an environment of competition but it can also be dangerous as employees may feel under pressure. These types of managers see everything as a threat that’s why they are mostly in a defensive mood. They are always ready to achieve success and mark history.

•    Inability to handle criticism: 

Narcissist managers are not open to conversation easily. They are not ready to take any criticism coming their way, even if it is constructive. If something goes wrong, they will not take the blame as it is not their fault. In short, narcissist managers don’t want to bring any change in their personalities and hence are unable to take criticism.

•    Highly ambitious: 

Having vision and aim in life is a great thing, but narcissist managers make their aims and ambitions the center of their world. They set ceaseless aims for themselves and when they are not successful in achieving them they feel deeply disappointed. This disappointment results in aggressive behavior with the subordinates who might feel unappreciated.    

Tips on how to deal with a Narcissist Manager

Dealing with a narcissistic manager is always very hard but here are some tips that you can practice when dealing with such type of personality:

1. Find out what he thinks before giving your point of view. If you know he is not right, try to tell him how another approach will be in his best interest. Disagree only when you know how you can prove to him that your approach is more beneficial for him to consider.

2. A narcissistic manager can give you endless tasks. Set your priorities at work and ignore the plea he makes that does not make any sense.

3. Praise him for his achievements and success but do not become a cheap flatterer. A smart narcissist can easily differentiate between a flatterer and an honest proponent.

4. As a narcissist, he lacks empathy, expect that he will have a hard time understanding what you are feeling that is why always frame your words and feelings before presenting them to him and say what you have to with diligence and clarity.

5. It is next to impossible to satisfy a narcissistic manager so you will never be able to please them truly. Remind yourself that it is not your fault all the time he is hard to satisfy. Give your 100% and rely on other trusted sources for genuine feedback.

6. Above all, always keep your self-esteem. Remember your worth, your qualifications, your skills, and why you were hired in the first place. This will help you keep going and deal with the vulnerable boss.

Concluding it up, it is suggested to have an optimistic approach when dealing with a narcissistic manager. Recognize that they are difficult to handle and you have to be extra cautious. Do your best at your workplace and put all your efforts however, take a leave when you see that the toxicity can cause lasting damage.