"They lie. Repeatedly. Shamelessly. They lie even when the truth would be easier. They lie when the lie can easily be debunked. They lie to dominate, confuse, and assert control. They treat contradiction as an attack and disagreement as betrayal. These are defining traits of narcissistic leadership. Strangely enough, in politics and in organizations alike, we keep rewarding narcissistic leaders by giving them more power."
"Narcissism is often confused with confidence, ambition, or charisma. In reality, pathological narcissism is defined by grandiosity, a constant need for admiration, low empathy, intolerance of criticism, and a tendency to instrumentalize others. At high doses, narcissism is deeply corrosive. Highly narcissistic leaders take greater risks, manipulate more freely, break rules more readily, and do not learn from failure. They externalize blame, rewrite history, and prefer loyal sycophants over competent professionals."
Narcissistic leaders habitually lie, seek admiration, show low empathy, and react to criticism with intolerance. They lie to dominate, confuse, and assert control, treating contradiction as attack and disagreement as betrayal. Organizations and electorates frequently reward such individuals by promoting, funding, and normalizing their behavior despite warning signs. High levels of narcissism produce risk-taking, manipulation, rule-breaking, failure to learn, blame externalization, historical revisionism, and preference for loyal sycophants over competent professionals. Observers often recognize narcissistic behaviors—boasting, attention monopolization, performative outrage, and repeated lying—yet continue to choose these leaders, especially during periods of anxiety and crisis when loud confidence is mistaken for competence.
Read at Fast Company
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