Argus And Kaptin M. I learned about Narcissistic managers the following way.
I was CEO of a successful company owned by another company. The new CEO of this company started doing some interesting things, like lying to the Board, doing devious political things, only talking to certain "special" people, organising meetings to which I was not invited (called bullying by exclusion), sucking up to politicians and people "above", and generally treating anyone "below" them in the corporate pecking order with contempt. In addition, although the books looked great, they were making dreadful management decsions and hiding the inevitable costs in the books. (These should surface in the press maybe this year, about $250 million worth is my guess)
I was at a dinner party held for a visiting old friend from MBA days who was Vice President of HR of a New York company. I explained this person's somewhat bizarre management style to her and another senior HR person and asked what they thought. They both turned as one to each other and then back to me and chanted as one; "Narcissistic personality disorder, Alistair Mant chapter 2(?)"
I chased up NPD on the web and it fitted this person to a tee. After learning about it I was then able to 'work around" this individual concerned.
I suggest those of you who are interested might look a little closer at NPD and compare the profile with GD and MJ.
The apparent cause of NPD is a complete and total lack of the ability to empathise with people (put themselves in other people's shoes). The coping mechanism for this is to develop an overwhelming sense of superiority often buttressed by hard and very intelligent work out of the desire to achive power and position.
The ruthlessness you think you see Kaptin M, is not really ruthlessness at all. To be ruthless, you actually have to understand the impact of what you are doing to someone and then do it anyway.
A true narcissist just cannot even know or care about the impact of his decisions on "little people" because he cannot empathise. However telling him he is ruthless will simply be viewed as a complement anyway even though he doesn't understand the meaning of the term.
The most dangerous thing about NPD people is that they will do whatever they need to do to maintain their superioriority veneer - both legal and illegal.
The only way you can "get through" to NPD people is to scare them, at which point thir persona will collapse. Best recent example was Rene Rivkin's performance on being sentenced to jail.
I just pray thst GD's legacy isn't a big smoking hole in the ground.
Last edited by Sunfish; 20th Feb 2005 at 20:09.