Breaking the Mirror: A Reflective Look at Narcissism in the Workplace

Imagine the case of Jessica, a hard-working individual in her 30s, employed at a promising small company in a sales function. As the organization continues to grow, the board of directors and executive management team decide to hire a new CEO to help take the company to the next level. After extensive recruiting and interviewing, they found a candidate who seemed to have the credentials and skills they were looking for. He had impressive leadership background on his resume, success at other companies in similar industries, a broad range of contacts within the industry and seemed to be a good cultural fit with existing employees.

Quickly after the new CEO came on board, Jessica started to notice red flags during her interactions with him. He would make decisions too hastily, ignore customer and employee feedback, and just trust his “gut” to make decisions. He would chastise and belittle employees in group meetings, criticize opinions, and never listen to ideas others brought to the table. He encouraged a “yes man” culture and suppressed analysis, brainstorming, or collaborative working. Jessica became less inclined to voice her opinion, offer suggestions or challenge ideas, for fear that she would be chided, reprimanded or fired. What was once a positive, healthy work environment, quickly became an unenjoyable, destructive and a career-altering situation for Jessica.

Have you ever been in a similar situation or seen similar behaviors in the workplace? If so, you may be dealing with an individual who has narcissistic personality traits.  In order to understand the complete picture of how Jessica could have protected herself in this situation, we need to analyze the science behind narcissistic personality traits, how it affects the dynamics between employees in the workplace and the best ways to work effectively with these types of people.

Distinct themes emerge when looking into research on narcissism. Defined as extreme egotism, vanity, and arrogant pride in one's intellectual or physical abilities, narcissism is characterized as having low empathy for others, dominance, a sense of entitlement, and grandiosity. Ranging from individuals having a few traits, to full-blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder, these extreme characteristics can impact daily functionality and interactions with those around them.

Approximately 2.2% of Americans suffer from what is known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and many more may suffer from maladaptive narcissistic traits. Studies have shown that men are more likely to have narcissistic traits than women, and subsequently, may lead them to acquire more leadership positions at organizations. Confounding the situation, narcissists are often charming and charismatic, making it difficult for mental health professionals to detect the disorder in patients. While it can be challenging to detect these traits among CEOs and executives in corporate America, research psychologists believe, for various reasons, that more leaders have these traits than the base-rate of the population.

Further research shows that business schools may attract and breed individuals with narcissistic traits. Test scores assessing personality traits related to narcissism are higher in current business schools when compared to previous generations, as well as in other educational settings. In today's business world that oftentimes requires a team-player attitude in order to succeed, the emergence of extreme narcissism in business leaders may undermine the team, and ultimately organizational success.

In addition to the adaptive traits of narcissism, there are also maladaptive traits that become apparent as time goes on. Group behavior studies have shown that individuals with narcissistic traits are more likely to emerge as group leaders, quite possibly because leadership positions confer the status that they desire. While many of these individuals rise to leadership positions, they are also likely to fail in these roles. From psychological studies, we know that narcissistic traits are linked to risky decision making and white-collar crime.  It is interesting to think about how the same factor that can lead to leader emergence may also be responsible for their downfall if risky decision making causes detrimental effects.

Psychologists have also found that narcissistic leaders are more likely to have larger total compensation packages (e.g., bonuses, salary, and stock options) than those leaders without narcissistic traits. Simply put, narcissistic individuals feel a sense of entitlement and as though they deserve more than others around them. The only caveat is that these leaders need to be at their organizations for a considerable amount of time and prove themselves to those around them. Once they have earned their status, achieved attainable goals and justified their role to the board of directors and executive team, they seem to receive whatever they request.

So what does all this mean for you and your organization? We suggest a few things you and your organization can do to protect itself from the risky decision-making and unpleasant behaviors of individuals with narcissistic traits:

1. Thorough Recruiting and Evaluation: Organizations can protect themselves by thoroughly examining an employee's previous work patterns overtime, as opposed to one or two recent successes, to understand if the candidate has narcissistic traits. What is their career history? Have they bounced from one company to another, every year or so? Also, HR professionals should seek out several references from varying points in the candidate’s career, beyond the candidate’s provided references, to get a full picture of who they are. Take any information gained from sources with a grain of salt, and keep in mind, these references could also provide neutral or negative information beyond the candidate’s narcissism. Assessing the candidate’s shared social networking profiles is another way to identify narcissistic traits. For example, the number of “selfies” showcases a desire to self-promote and focus only on themselves and may be linked to narcissism.
2. Promote Feedback and Constructive Criticism for all Leaders: If a problematic individual is already within the organization, leaders can protect the company by having a relatively independent executive board for decision-making processes, that relies of 360 or multirater feedback. Having a third party conduct this feedback creates transparency when communicating information, as well as protect employees by providing confidentiality. Oftentimes, individuals with narcissistic traits do not receive feedback or constructive criticism well. In order to maintain sense of self and protect their ego, an individual with narcissistic traits may move from one organization to another.
3. Rely on Others for Support: Understanding the level of support around you is crucial when dealing with narcissistic colleagues. Do you feel supported by colleagues? Are working conditions acceptable? Do you have open communication with HR? Do you have support from HR? If so, you can think about how to negotiate ideas in a way the narcissistic individual perceives to be non-threatening. But if you feel alone at the company and are limited in communicating your ideas, it may be wise to leave.
4. Use Objective and Professional Judgement: There are also ways for individuals to cope with difficult and potentially narcissistic colleagues. It is challenging for individuals to work with narcissistic leaders because they lack the power of the board supporting them to make decisions for the company. Relying on your own professional judgment is essential in the workplace. Going against the grain is not to be taken lightly, nor always advised, but holding onto your own stance will preserve your sense of integrity.

In conclusion, we also want to stress that we do not use the term “narcissistic traits” lightly. Putting a label to these behaviors may cause those suffering from them to feel stigmatized. Furthermore, not all leaders of organizations have narcissistic traits. The purpose of this entry is not to point fingers, but rather to create an environment in which you can be more aware of the dynamics surrounding you, as well as feel empowered to take steps to protect yourself in an organization that may not be good for your own mental well-being.

We also encourage you to take a step back and examine your own behaviors in the workplace. How might you contribute to a work environment that isn’t positive for everyone? Perhaps you may engage in some of the aforementioned behaviors and not always be aware of them. Look at yourself in the mirror and be aware if you’re falling in love with your own reflection - we don’t want anyone to end up like Narcissus! The goal here is to increase transparency between people, groups and organizations, but also increase transparency interpersonally. Let’s all work to create a climate within organizations of authentic discussion.

*For a list of references used in this article, please contact the authors*

Moving from Perfectionism to Productivity

‘Done is better than perfect’ – Facebook HQ mantra 

A challenge for many conscientious people is letting go of the details.  Managers – highly conscientious people – often need guided support in making the important transition from ‘deliverer of results’ to ‘strategic orchestrator.’ This is because their drive for results becomes an overplayed strength.

Consider John, a sales executive in a consumer goods company.  John is a highly conscientious person who prides himself on his integrity.  When John makes a promise, he delivers on it.  Throughout his career, this has landed him in good favor with his bosses and his clients, which has gotten him significant praise and recognition.  Newly promoted into the regional sales manager role, he found himself overwhelmed with the amount of work on his plate, yet didn’t feel he could delegate much to others because he was responsible.  Although he felt more stressed out with the increased workload, he just thought that was part of the ‘burden of management.’  At the end of his first year on the job, he was tired from this new work pattern and became deflated when he received his region’s engagement survey results.  In short, he had inadvertently created a culture of dependence, a climate of apathy, and to top it off he had formed unsustainable work habits that were affecting him personally.

Unfortunately, John’s is a familiar story.  When operating in new, frequently ambiguous environments, many executives worry most about getting their output perfect every time.  This drive for perfection is a double-edged sword that ultimately cripples their best efforts.  In short their winning formula no longer works.

In order to successfully manage this transition, it is helpful to understand the psychology of perfectionism.  There is no shortage of research on the topic, and studies have found that there are two distinct processes people tend to use when they approach any task.  Some choose a process called performance orientation. Here the focus is on the final product and an avoidance of failure.  An organization’s climate can actually prime executives for this orientation, especially when the emphasis is strictly on delivering the bottom-line.

The other process, known as learning orientation, is characterized by the motivation to learn as much as possible, with a primary emphasis on personal growth.  Individuals with a learning orientation have been shown to be more resilient and constructive about how they receive feedback from peers, score more highly on exams while in university, and are more productive overall than those who use a strictly performance orientation.  They can also bypass some of the anxiety their peers report by being less focused on avoidance of mistakes and instead embracing experimentation.

One reason for the difference in outcomes between these two groups is the different responses each has to stress - the classic ‘flight or fight’ response.  The learning orientation group, who sees a situation as an engaging challenge, is more likely to respond positively and benefit from increased blood flow to their muscles and brain.  The effect is that they tend to perform better on both motor and mental tasks.  In contrast, those who perceive a situation as threatening are more likely to respond negatively in a way that constricts their blood flow to these essential parts of the body.

Ultimately, both approaches to goal achievement are extremely important.  After all, executives who fail to deliver results do not last.  However, leaders can take away the fact that their results may be enhanced if they reframe their performance-driven approach toward learning.  This pattern is hard to break. Performance orientation is driven into many of us as children and built upon throughout our early adult lives.  The mantra for success in many societies seems to be “get good grades, which will get you into a good college, which will get you a good job.”  Ultimately, the emphasis is on the outcome (good grades = good college = good job), not the process or the learning that enables us to achieve these goals.

Difficult as it may be, this transition is one that many leaders must navigate in order to sustain their early success.  As the latest research shows, to be our best, most innovative selves, we should stop to take in all that we are learning instead of focusing only on the finish line.  Counter intuitively, this can actually boost our results and profits while allowing us to feel more relaxed and learn more that can be applied to future situations.  In order to really break the pattern, we suggest that leaders try to change their focus gradually.

1. Focus on process AND outcomes: The research is clear that goals are both motivating and facilitate personal achievement.  However, once the goal is clear, leaders need to ensure their people understand the scheme of maneuver to achieve it.  Some questions to ask are: “What do we need to do to get there?"  "How can I teach my team to dig deep and understand the significance of what they are doing?" 
2. Adopt the principle of equifinality: There are an infinite number of routes to a given point, and yours is not the only possible solution.  In fact, if you adopt this principle you will come to learn that yours is not even the best possible solution – it is only one of many.  Give yourself a chance to be surprised by others’ ingenuity, and give them a chance to demonstrate it.
3. Access your inner detective: Curiosity is the precursor to learning, and it can be fun. Remember the days you ran to a mentor, parent, or teacher proud to tell them about something new you’ve learned? Find that thirst to uncover the truth by starting a quest. “How can I learn as much about this particular situation as possible?”  “Where is that person who can generate the best solutions to this challenge?”  “What could be possible if we did it Mary’s way?”
4. Take your time: If your natural inclination is to focus on the outcome, that’s OK, for now. You can’t expect to change your mindset over night.  Focusing on the very act of changing your emphasis toward being less performance-oriented is a mindset that emphasizes performance in itself! If it takes you awhile to learn how to change the way you frame issues, that’s fine.  Be easy on yourself as you learn this new skill.
5. Relax: The tendency to focus on perfection is usually driven by stress and an intense need to succeed.  This is natural for many leaders who care deeply about results. If you can find a moment or two each day to meditate or step back to think about your journey and the path you’ve taken to get there, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed by day-to-day performance indicators.

**For inquiries about references used in this post, please contact authors**

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What is "Take the Bucket off Your Head?"

The phrase “take the bucket off your head” refers to a memorable interaction with a high school English teacher, who wanted to motivate one of the authors to be more assertive, voice her opinions and participate more frequently during class. Rather than calmly and rationally explain why she should speak up during group discussions, instead he blurted out to “take the bucket off your head!”

Hearing this awkward criticism as a 15 year old girl in high school has transitioned into a life-long goal to communicate clearly, rationally, and effectively. Take the Bucket off Your Head is a reference to women seeking to promote their assertion in organizations and lead authentically, without stifling their true direction and leadership intentions.