One of the most common
abnormalities among managers is an inflated sense of self-worth and importance
that arises from the esteem given to those who have authority over others. A manager directs the
activities of others, and may come to believe that he is superior to them in
skills and potential – when such is not the case at all. A hospital manager who has administrative
control over a team of surgeons is not himself a surgeon, and does not have the
knowledge or skills to direct their work – but over time he may come to think
so.
This is especially true of
managers who experience feelings of inferiority – it is stressful for them to
have control over people whose work they do not understand. So as a defense mechanism, they fantasize
that they understand it, and that they are in a leadership position because of
their technical competence. When they act
on this fantasy, they do harm. Their
delusion of grandeur is a compensation for their feeling of self-doubt and
insufficiency.
The negative impact of
this is clear: when a manager who is charged with coordinating knowledge
workers does not have superior skills or knowledge, and if he does not control
his ego he will invariably begin micromanaging their work, abusing the authority
of his position to demand that they do things they know to be wrong and
harmful.
Aside of the functional
damage that can be done by a narcissistic manager, they are damaging to the
morale of their employees. To be
ordered to do something wrong or harmful, to be ignored, and to be
unappreciated all degrade the morale of an expert worker. Their initial impulse is rebellion, but when
their rebellion is met with further sanctions, they either seek to escape. If escape is not possible, then they cease to
contribute their expertise and follow the orders they are given, even orders
they know to be wrong.
Narcissistic managers tend
to favor submissive employees: yes-men and lickspittles. As such, they promote and reward those who
cater to their ego and neglect those who are competent and capable. When they drive away competent employees,
they replace them with submissive ones.
And thus, the entire operation is compromised – the narcissistic manager
is surrounded by incompetent but fawning employees, who provide only positive
feedback. This leads to blind-spots,
misjudgments, and unsound decisions.
The feelings of inadequacy
are then exacerbated by a lack of performance: outside his protective circle of
submissive supporters, his incompetence is obvious, and the performance of his
business unit suffers immensely.
Sometimes, negative criticism can be a wake-up call, but more often they
resist it, feel the world does not appreciate the good work they are doing, and
they become hostile and defensive. In
other words, they become delusional and disconnected from reality. This spiral continues until their operation
becomes dysfunctional and they are removed from their position.
In sum, narcissistic leaders
are dangerous to their organizations. Their lack of empathy, their poor ability
to accept criticism, their unwillingness to reflect on their own actions, their
extreme readiness for conflict, their vengefulness, and their own isolation
from real, actual people lends them the potential for catastrophic decisions
and inhumane leadership behavior.
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