The psychologist talked about the narcissistic type of leadership

Bright and charismatic leaders who confidently lead teams often turn out to be narcissists. The traits that helped them rise to the top can later cause a crisis for themselves and for the entire organization. On August 21, business psychologist Victoria Kharitonova told Izvestia about the subtleties of the narcissistic management style and ways to transform it.

"Narcissistic leadership is a management style in which a leader focuses primarily on himself: on his ideas, achievements, and vision. Such a leader is charismatic, self-confident, and seeks recognition. He can be bright, inspiring, decisive, and that's why he's often promoted to the top," the expert explained.

However, according to the psychologist, vulnerability is often hidden behind external confidence. Especially when the attention disappears or the admiration from the environment weakens, the narcissistic traits that helped to come to power can begin to interfere.

The specialist clarified that in the business environment, narcissism does not manifest itself as a clinical disorder, but as a stable pattern of behavior: non-recognition of mistakes, ignoring other people's opinions and a painful reaction to criticism.

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"A leader with such traits often achieves high results, but builds a system around himself where initiative and independence are suppressed. Research shows that such companies have higher staff turnover and lower trust within the team," said the psychologist.

She also stressed that the burden of this leadership style is heavy for the leader himself. Internal tension increases, rest does not bring recovery, there is a feeling of loneliness. At the same time, it seems to others that everything is under control, because a strong leader should not show weakness.

But, according to the expert, this energy can be directed in a constructive direction. She explained that this does not require drastic steps, and it is often enough to start hearing feedback without devaluing it, learn how to delegate not only tasks, but also decision-making, as well as involve the team in the discussion as a real source of ideas.

In addition, it is important to slow down before making decisions in order to understand what drives the choice — the fear of failure or the desire for results, and allow yourself not to be perfect.

"Narcissism can be a valuable resource if managed consciously. A stable leader is not someone who is always right, but someone who knows how to see himself from the outside, change and build an effective system around himself," Kharitonova summed up.

Clinical psychologist Daria Yausheva told Izvestia on July 16 about the syndrome of work overload. According to her, long and frequent business meetings can overload the cognitive system and provoke emotional burnout, it is not in the classifiers of diseases, and the doctor will not diagnose it, but it is quite real and can affect the general condition of a person.

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