Leaders, better without narcissism

Needless to say, no one is perfect, even to add that some are far far away; Of course and in general, We usually miss self -criticism And we are not very receptive to feedback. Almost all of us fail in self -knowledge and we are not even aware of it.

This seems to be, although in this regard the case of those affected by a narcissistic disorder is unique and striking, whose mind is altered with the sublimation of the self; They are considered essential and barely perfect, and the high concept they have of themselves is in sight.

1. How is a narccytic leader
2. Opinions and reflections
3. Approach
4. Final criticism

How is a narccytic leader

There are, of course, people who can consider the rest superior in various aspects that have been able to develop, and it is logical that other display the corresponding recognition. In all scenarios, and of course in organizations, there are certainly excellent in something; But it would be said that Narcissists do not expect to be recognized, but demand it excessively (Often, yes, with questionable foundation, exaggerating its merits or achievements).

As is known, in these cases the behavior can be significantly antisocial, however and except concurrence, we would not have to have them perverse but by narcissists. In reality, each individual is unique, and they are the ones who present the personality disorder that concerns us; a visible disorder that can be related to the professional position and the managed power.

This leads us to focus on leaders, to the powerful, widely understood the collective (although narcissism in pathological degree affects a small minority).

They are, of course, in the public and private, numerous exemplary or simply competent managers, as there are not so effective, or so complete, or so estimated; But it is true that There are cases of narcissism incipient or chronic, with mild or serious symptoms, of very possible negative consequences and with different causes.

As the power is achieved to stay or continue to rise, the subject can already be untouchable when this personality disorder is consolidated or consolidated, which can also also appear in younger managers, perhaps after some very bad success early digested. There are many reflections, but we close preliminary.

Opinions and reflections

He will do about ten years, I read an article by a consulting friend and came up with the idea that managers were to be "a little narcissistic".

I have not recovered the text, although I remember that because I frowned. Actually and if it is meant, we may be somewhat narcissistic, and we may even have occasionally suffered diverse mental disorders, or deployed irrational behaviors; The fact is that I had effectively incubated some sensitivity to narcissism, after interacting long ago with a singular manager (with him the firm went out and would end up disappearing) that, in my particular way of seeing, he had been conceited, bearer of transcendental mission, and hungry for recognition and subordination (all accompanied how to gestures and features that seemed healthy).

Some time later I met another possible revealing case. This time the individual seemed very vain and obsessed with the envy that he thought he was subject, while some of the merits that he rarely forgot to exhibit. Always at risk of being wrong, I could add that I had more numerous flatterers than the manager of the previous paragraph and that, when tending to abstraction, I do not know if sometimes ended in delirium. By the way and then, I began to believe that, in case of doubt, If a person rejected the flattery, he was probably not a narcissistic; I also thought that narcissism never completes semblance and you have to look at more things ... let's go to the heart.

This summer, navigating on the Internet - they could be very particular, but then the impulse to write these reflections arose - he ran with various ideas about the narcissism of managers, in formulations that seemed linked to the thought of authors such as M. Maccoby or s. Chrompton. For example, it came to suggest that Executives had to have a high (Now it was "high") Dose of narcissism. Such a thing seemed to benefit from a certain productive narcissism.

I also observed, now on another page, that some advantages of a narcissistic leadership were pointed out, and it was also positively talking about the so -called productive narcissism. I immediately thought You can and should be productive without being narcissistic, and that leaders can and should lead effectively, without presenting any disorder or disorder in their personality. Soon I found something that was especially sound: it was said that the productive narcissist is the most close to the idea we have of a great leader. Arrested in this sentence, I wondered What was understood by great leader And what would that narcissism that sought to enrich leadership be.

They came to say that these productive, lovely and bold narcissists seduce others with their dialectic, have a perspective to be good strategists, and seek the power to do great things, leave legacy and generate satisfaction in their environment; that are raised ambitious and attractive challenges than other individuals, more attentive to real possibilities, would not be raised.

With some dependence on the means used and the ends achieved, I seemed to me all this very positive; But I was resisted to link it so closely with narcissism. I thought rather that they were effective leaders who were really narcissistic, the success would have been uploaded; They would be narcissistic productive, more than productive narcissists ... and I kept circling the matter.

Approach

¿There is a reading of this disorder that includes positive features to the point of betting, as it seemed to be done, due to the presence of narcissism in managers-lders? ¿There is in this disorder particular features that catalyze the best manifestation of leadership, so that they suppose a lack for the non -narcissistic leader? I continued with the issue because it seemed to me that a certain defense of narcissism was being made (beyond that typically the narcissistic tends to lead and without forgetting that it also usually tends to star in, capitalize ...).

Of course, there are worse personalities that the narcissistic and many have ever upset the mind; but ¿No It would be better to avoid any mint disorderl, even mild or passenger? ¿It is no safer that organizations are directed by mentally healthy, self -critical, realistic, judicious, empathic people, with as much angle vision as teleobjective? ¿It is perhaps the precisely ideal narcissistic personality to lead certain organizations, or to develop special tasks?

I presumed assent, even in the last question, remembering, for example, there seems to be more given organizations by appearing than being.

To its most visible degree, narcissism (egolatry, arrogance, megalomania, vanity ...) seemed to me negative but not sensibly generalized; But they had been somewhat frequent in managers (especially in entrepreneurs and senior positions) some beliefs that would have to be reviewed and modeled.

It seems that they would have instilled in them a particular ideology or they would have incubated them themselves, built on premises such as the following, taken with some excess: that they have been chosen by nature, that the manager-leader is the hero of the company, that the rules They are not for them and they are allowed procedures or special means, that workers are mere human resources and are not able to star in their task, or that the business is the business, this at all costs (with the fair scruples).

Final criticism

In many of these directors of particular mental models, one would also include traits such as awareness that there are no better ideas or opinions than yours, The desire to highlight, the well-learned grace prudence, a specific relational protocol, a certain clothing code, a sensitive gestural containment or a visibly careful-cultural dialectic.

Perhaps what is understood as a small dose of narcissism has to do with some of this, although it could also be the effects of the position and its corresponding load, of the pressure, of a particular crop of the authority, of the consciousness of being observed, of the desire to grow, of the personal profile itself ..

It seems really to be appreciated in a few managers - this is what I wanted to underline above all - a need to handle themselves free after its purposes, regardless of functional rigidities (whether they are of corporate or legal area). It is a characteristic that perhaps becomes more evident in narcissists, although (as also happens with manipulation, lack of empathy, the thirst for power, the desire to appear…) It can occur in some managers-lies to which it costs to qualify as narcissists.

In fact, it would be said that almost all have ever sought venial shortcuts to avoid procedures and norms in our organizations; But it is also a fact that, in the high and not so high management of the public and the private, is sometimes used to illegitimate shortcuts that even constitute news.

Indeed and really, there seems to be too large, and not so great, political and business leaders of our time that moral and legal norms have been skipped. It is easier to link some of these great leaders to immorality, than to the so -called productive narcissism as it was done in what I read; But it is not possible to generalize and unique is each case among leaders, among followers, among narcissists, among flatterers, among corrupt, among full ..

In the little read on the Internet I did not find a mention of this of skipping moral and legal norms (whether it is operational or greedy corruption), but the narcissistic, productive or unproductive, it really seems to be above all. It would be said that, feeling so exceptional, so superior, of such a high category, it does not seem to see insurmountable obstacles for its ambitious goals, which could be taken, depending on the point of observation, by positive or negative.

One thinks here that the corrupt narcissist should be more had as corrupt than by narcissistic; And he adds that there seems to be corrupt (in the operational and the greedy) without being shown narcissistic ... complex the thing and already inviting the interested reader to reach their own conclusions, I am finishing.

Conclusions

If any dose of narcissism in managers would be celebrated in denounce the elite mentality, of category, of high mission, of Gracian prudence, with which the future managers-lines in some training programs would be educated and flattered.

Then, in the managerial performance, it would be the salary level that could nurture the disorder ... in any case, there may be necessary Check the mental models from business schools, both to avoid narcissism and to question the persecuted purposes and the media deployed.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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