The answer may have as much to do with Trump’s _____________ as his
proposed policies. Unlike his rivals, he has made a fortune by his own efforts; he
can convincingly claim he is his own man while his rivals are _______________,
indebted to the big money donors his followers _____________.
But his appeal may have even more to do with his personality. No one pushes
Trump around, and no insult goes unanswered. He fights back. In this, Trump has
a personality type that’s common to the charismatic leaders who emerge in times
of ________________ and uncertainty, when people are ready to follow a strong
leader who promises to lead them to _________________.
SUCCESSFUL LEADERS
I have done much additional study of leaders such as these, whom I call productive
narcissists. The results of this research were first published in my article of 2000,
Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons (which was later
expanded into a book). I wrote that productive narcissists like Steve Jobs, Bill
Gates and Larry Ellison were exploiting new technologies to create great
companies, just as Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller and Henry Ford did over a
century ago. However, I also illustrated that people with this personality type,
___________ brilliant, have potential weaknesses that can ruin them.
They can become so tied to their visions that they lose touch with reality. They
can become so self-important that they _____________ at subordinates who
question them. They can act ______________ the rules don’t apply to them. They
can end up isolated in their own worlds.
ESSENTIAL HUMILITY
Successful productive narcissists recognize their vulnerabilities and compensate
for them. A few years ago, I was invited to a meeting of Italian business,
government, media and academic leaders – a _____________ of great interest at
that time when Silvio Berlusconi, a grandiose narcissist, was prime minister. The
president of the Italian senate said that I was correct that visionary leaders were
productive narcissists. But to sustain their success, he said, they should learn how
to _____________ to be humble.
GOOD ADVICE
Narcissistic leaders who have come to me for counseling wanted help in
understanding their subordinates and partners. They wanted to control their
tendency to lash out at criticism. They wanted to overcome their vulnerability to
_____________ and flatterers who tell them hard truths.
Followers must also take a step back to attain perspective. People who have
become _______________ by charismatic narcissists – whether in the political or
business realm – often fail to sufficiently evaluate the leaders’ policies and their