It is the responsibility of the business leader to create an organizational culture that is constructive, encourages productivity, and where employees are happy to work. The business leader puts his or her stamp on the organization and its climate. In Jimm Collins’ book “From Good to Great”, which focuses on the ways to achieve sustainable success, the defining characteristics of business leaders who led companies that achieved above average success for 15 years were investigated. The distinctive characteristics of these leaders were found to be moderate yet decisive, humble yet fearless. These seemingly contradictory adjectives actually have subtle but solid counterparts in business life. It is possible to be uncompromising and decisive in strategy and goals, and supportive, tolerant and moderate in practice. Such leaders are mature people with high emotional intelligence. In my more than twenty years of professional life, I have known few leaders with these characteristics.
Narcissistic Leader Characteristics
On the other hand, I have encountered many self-admiring, self-serving business leaders who believe they know everything. Narcissistic leaders can be found at various levels of sports, politics and business. Over the years I have observed six characteristics of narcissistic leaders who admire themselves:
They do not listen. Since they believe they know everything, they do not feel the need to listen to anyone. Both management meetings and meetings and conversations with one or two subordinates are monologues. The only thing the other person does is to nod and listen. Even when they pretend to ask for opinions, they wait for confirmation of what they have already said.
They do not know what empathy is. They are not interested in how their decisions and the people they interact with are affected. More precisely, they do not realize that human relationships have such a dimension. Their spouses and children also take their share of the blame.
They have an irrepressible desire for success and power. This trait produces two results: First, taking unrealistic risks, and second, accepting any means as valid for success. They think that laws and rules do not apply to them. The risks they take are in the form of putting themselves in difficulty or jeopardizing the company or the organization they lead, not for others, but for themselves.
They hate being criticized. These people are closed to all forms of criticism. They feel uncomfortable even with the friendliest criticism and perceive their critics as enemies. To them, those who criticize them are either malicious people who do not appreciate them or fools who cannot think deeply. This criticism is recorded aside, to be answered one day. They see their flaws, pointed out in the mildest tone, as virtues and think that these qualities make them successful.
They do not seek help. Asking for advice and help is a “difficult” thing for such leaders to even imagine, let alone think about. There are several reasons for this. First, the person to ask for help is “Who is it?”. Secondly, even if that person is important, “What they say is true, but not applicable to this situation”. Since they know best, there is no reason to ask for their opinion and help. If their position requires consultants, these consultants are there to validate it. Their social relationships are there to explain themselves and prove how valuable they are.
They do not value people. Every success is their work. Anyone in their environment who works day and night for the leader’s success is an unworthy soldier. If not that person, anyone the leader will point out will fulfill that task more than enough. The narcissistic leader has already rewarded those people by gathering them around him. Any success has been achieved by the leader’s foresight, intelligence, strategy, strength and determination. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a shortsighted ignoramus.
Narcissistic leaders see themselves as a reward to the organizations and people they are with. Their relationship with their families is no different. Everyone around them exists to serve them, they are valuable to the extent that they fulfill their needs, and they are expected to become “invisible” when that need is gone.
Conclusion
Narcissistic leaders perceive expansion as development because of their irrepressible desire for power. As a result, they tend to increase their power by taking the company into businesses outside its core business. For example, Jan Carlson, who 25 years ago became the hero of the airline industry with the customer-centered approach he brought to the agenda with his book “Moments of Truth”, consumed the credit he received for his high performance at SAS by bringing SAS to the point of bankruptcy through unnecessary acquisitions. In the field of politics, there are many examples of people who have led the country to disaster by going to war in order to make it grow. In the field of sports, there are many “presidents” who have brought the club they manage to the point of bankruptcy with their spending, and then left, shifting the responsibility to someone else.
Even though there are productive narcissists such as Churchill, J. Welch, G. Soros, etc., narcissistic leaders cannot create a lasting, productive and positive organisational culture because they use the opportunities of the organization to grow their egos and serve themselves by developing their power. For this reason, J. Collins’ finding that the business leaders of companies that have achieved regular and lasting success are humble people is an important conclusion that should be learned from.
Prof. Dr. Acar Baltaş
Ref: https://www.acarbaltas.com/narsistik-liderler-olumlu-kurum-kulturu-yaratamaz/
