![]() ![]() There’s something new and daring about the CEOs who are transforming today’s industries. Forget those that don’t make sense he will, too. Make yourself available at any time, but prioritize his too-many requests. If you think he’s wrong, show him how a different approach will benefit him. ![]() Find out what he thinks before presenting your views. Give your boss ideas, but let him take the credit for them. Support his best impulses-without becoming sycophantic. Understand the vulnerability behind the display of infallibility. How to Survive Working for a NarcissistĮmpathize with your boss’s feelings. Self-reflecting leaders who are aware of their irrational needs can remain highly productive. (GE’s Jack Welch embodies this approach.) Converting people to their point of view by providing impressive rewards for people who internalize-and commit to-their vision. Don Quixote had Sancho Panza, Bill Gates has Microsoft president Steve Ballmer, and Larry Ellison has Oracle COO Ray Lane. Ideally a colleague-who keeps them rooted in reality, points out the operational requirements of their visions, and gets them to accept new ideas. Productive narcissists avoid these traps by:įinding a trusted sidekick. (“Only the paranoid survive,” Andy Grove of Intel maintains.) Avoiding the Traps They pursue victory ruthlessly, often unrestrained by conscience and convinced that threats abound. They crave empathy but are not empathetic themselves. They say they want teamwork but really want yes-men. Unimaginably thin-skinned, narcissists can’t tolerate dissent. They listen only to information they seek and begin dominating subordinates (e.g., Steve Jobs publicly humiliates employees). They ignore cautionary words and take flagrant risks. Weaknesses of the Narcissistic LeaderĪs they garner adulation and success, these leaders begin to feel invincible. Skilled orators and creative strategists, they attract and inspire scores of followers. Narcissistic leaders see the “big picture” and offer gripping visions of the future. The Idea in Practice Strengths of the Narcissistic Leader For other companies, it could be the worst. The challenge? Getting the most out of them-while ensuring that they neither self-destruct nor endanger their companies.įor companies whose narcissistic leaders recognize their limitations, this innovative age could be the best of times. They can ruin their company if their excesses go uncontrolled. Gifted strategists and courageous risk-takers, they inspire others and drive their organizations toward a compelling future.īut they can also be emotionally isolated and highly distrustful, prone to hair-trigger rages and grandiose airs. Such “narcissistic” leaders are essential during times of transition. Charisma, vision-and, yes, big ego-define many larger-than-life leaders-Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs-who adorn today’s business-magazine covers. “What’s the difference between Larry Ellison and God? God doesn’t believe he’s Larry.” So quips an executive about Oracle’s larger-than-life leader. Another is to take a leap of faith and go into psychoanalysis, which can give these leaders the tools to overcome their sometimes fatal character flaws. One solution is to find a trusted sidekick, who can point out the operational requirements of the narcissistic leader’s often overly grandiose vision and keep him rooted in reality. Narcissists who want to overcome the limits of their personalities must work as hard at that as they do at business success. They didn’t get where they are by listening to others, so why should they listen to anyone when they’re at the top of their game? But recommendations about creating teamwork and being more receptive to subordinates will not resonate with narcissists. Most business advice is focused on the more analytic personality that Freud labeled obsessive. It’s not always true, as Andy Grove famously put it, that only the paranoid survive. But narcissists can also lead companies into disaster by refusing to listen to the advice and warnings of their managers. Narcissists are good for companies in extraordinary times, those that need people with the passion and daring to take them in new directions. Such love of the limelight often stems from what Freud called a narcissistic personality, says psychoanalyst and anthropologist Michael Maccoby in this HBR classic first published in the January–February 2000 issue. These were a different breed from their counterparts of just ten or 20 years before, who shunned the press and whose comments were carefully crafted by corporate PR departments. In the winter of 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, business leaders posed for the covers of Time, BusinessWeek, and the Economist with the aplomb and confidence of rock stars. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |