7 SIGNS OF A NARCISSISTIC
LEADER
CHAD VEACH
How can you identify narcissism in yourself as a leader ? It ’ s not easy . For one thing , selfishness is a matter of degrees , not an either-or distinction . It ’ s normal and healthy to care for yourself , to look out for your interests , and to be proud of yourself . But when those things take precedence , or when they trump empathy and compassion , you ’ ve begun to cross a line . Since human beings tend to give themselves the benefit of the doubt long after they should , you might think you have good motivations and a balanced perspective when really , you ’ re spending too much time admiring your own reflection in the water .
The American Psychiatric Association ’ s definition of narcissism , quoted above , gives us a picture of selfishness taken to an extreme . It highlights several characteristics of narcissism that are very applicable to leaders . To be clear , I ’ m not saying that if we have one of these characteristics , then we have a clinical personality disorder . But there is a possibility that we have allowed an internal bent toward selfishness and selfabsorption to take root in our leadership and it needs to be corrected before it grows further . That is healthy self-examination , and it is part of leading ourselves first . Here , then , are seven signs of a narcissistic leader .
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