"He was like the cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow."~ George Eliot
Narcissism is defined as displaying excessive interest in oneself with a
grandiose view of one’s own talents and a craving for admiration. Narcissists
are vain, selfish and manipulative. They have a constant need for affirmation
and recognition. As they are very much pre-occupied with themselves and their
own ideas, narcissists are not receptive to suggestions and advice from others.
Instead, they are sensitive to feedback which is often perceived as personal
criticism. Notwithstanding, they are still able to attract followers as they
are usually also charismatic and eloquent.Narcissistic Business Leaders
It is not uncommon to find leaders with narcissistic traits in the business world e.g Jack Welch of GE, Bill Gates of Microsoft and the late Steve Jobs of Apple. These leaders are well-known for being visionary and bold with the courage to venture where others have not imagined. They have created blue oceans and opened up new markets and opportunities for themselves and their own organisations. The world of technology is the best testament for these visionary leaders who through their innovation and vision to see things that never were, came up with products such as the ipad, iphone etc.
Given the strengths of narcissistic leaders in being visionary,
charismatic, transformational and radical, it is not hard to understand why narcissism is a common and sought-after trait for leaders in the business world. In
fact, as
narcissist leadership thrives in chaotic times, large corporations are increasingly
seeking out such leaders to come up with radical ideas to create a new future and leave behind a legacy.
"It was precisely that evening in Lodi
that I came to believe in myself as an unusual person and became consumed with
the ambition to do the great things that until then had been but a
fantasy." ~ Napoleon Bonaparte, "Thoughts"
Narcissistic Leaders in Singapore
Examples in Singapore? With my entire career in the Singapore public sector, I can’t speak much about the private sector. But if I
were to speak from my personal experiences in the public sector, I think narcissism doesn’t quite have a place in the Singapore public sector. Why?
I humbly believe the answer lies in the nature
of narcissistic leaders which is generally incompatible with the
nature of work and human relations in the public sector. This brings us to the dark side of narcissism.
The Dark Side of Narcissism
Being
self-preoccupied and highly confident of their own abilities, narcissistic
leaders tend to act without restraints believing that they
are invincible. This feeds their feelings of grandiosity and overconfidence and makes them tune out cautionary advices from those around them. They are also
highly defensive
and vigilant for any signs of disagreement which may be interpreted as
betrayal. This creates isolation resulting in flagrant risk-taking that can
eventually lead to catastrophe if unchecked and uncontrolled.
“In all great deceivers a remarkable process is at work to which they owe their power. In the very act of deception with all its preparations, the dreadful voice, expression, and gestures, they are overcome by their belief in themselves; it is this belief which then speaks, so persuasively, so miracle-like, to the audience." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, "The Genealogy of Morals"
Narcissistic
leaders are thus poor listeners who are oversensitive to criticisms. They are
selective about the information they seek and hear only those they are looking
for. They are self-centred and do not work as a team. Instead, they are highly
competitive and ruthless in their pursuit for victory. They do not mentor or
teach others and prefer to indoctrinate or preach. They dominate meetings and
cannot tolerate different opinions.
Narcissistic
leaders also lack empathy. While they may crave empathy from others, they do
not return the favour. They are not able and not bothered to understand how
others feel by putting themselves in their shoes. They are usually manipulative
and exploit those who are with them to achieve their desired outcomes.
"The narcissist devours people, consumes their output, and casts the empty, writhing
shells aside." ~ Sam Vaknin
Therefore, the nature of public sector work in
Singapore where collaboration and teamwork are necessary amongst various government
departments and agencies to ensure achievement of collective goals will rule
out narcissism which emphasises competition and personal rather than team
achievement.
The tendency for narcissists to self-celebrate and
indulge in delusions of grandeur will also make them unpopular choices for leadership
succession in the Singapore public sector which emphasises collective
achievement of goals to enhance the well-being of
the nation
rather than that of the individual leader.
Last but not
least, their poor listening and lack of empathetic skills will make them poor
in relationship management. This is an essential skill for public service
leaders in Singapore given that they usually have relatively short stints in
any public organisation and it is therefore important that they are able to
build relationships quickly in any new organisation they are posted to ensure
employee buy-in to achieve organisational goals.
Hence, I believe there is no place for narcissistic public
service leaders in Singapore. Besides the reasons highlighted below, another
important reason is the precedence of collectivism over individualism in
Singapore (In Hofstede’s survey of the influence of culture on workplace values,
Singapore ranked low in individualism – 39th out of 41 countries). Any leader that emphasises self over team,
competition over collaboration and is closed to feedback and advices will not
thrive in an environment where collective values and norms prevail.
Notwithstanding,
the selection may sometimes fail. To mitigate the adverse impacts of any
oversight, it is therefore important to educate public leaders on the importance
of emotional
intelligence which includes:
- Self-awareness- know their own strengths and weaknesses
- Self-management – learn
controlling their own impulses
- Social awareness – empathize with
other’s feelings
- Relationship
management – building relationships
Summary
Narcissism can be both a strength and weakness of leadership. It all
depends on the context (public or private sector) and the situation (is it a
time when radical change is needed).
To ensure that productive narcissism does not become unproductive, training
and practice on Emotional Intelligence are necessary. Narcissists should also learn to be open
and have a good sense of humour and keep in mind the following words of
Roosevelt to be less self-conscious:
"You wouldn't worry so much about what
others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."~ Eleanor
Roosevelt
I shall end with this quote which explains narcissism with a sense of
empathy, for its only with empathy that the world can be a
better place:
"Half the harm that is done in this world
is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm — but
the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it
because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of
themselves."~ T.S. Elliott
