5 Sings Your Boss Is Narcissist

5 Sings Your Boss Is Narcissist

According to an article published in Psychology Today, the Mayo Clinic Group defines narcissistic personality disorder as " people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. & attention "

People with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they are superior to others and care less about the feelings of others.
But behind this mask of overconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem and refusing any kind of criticism. "

In the workplace, a narcissistic boss can be insensitive and cocky.
Also, he can be an exploitative or abusive at worst.

Here are 5 signs that your boss might be a narcissist

1- Unsympathetic to employees

A common sign of a narcissistic manager is disregard for employee feelings and needs. Unless you are his "favorite," the narcissistic manager may often display indifference towards you as an individual. Whether you are overwhelmed by work problems, feeling sick, or having a bad day, you are faced with the constant response: “So what !? This is not my problem?”

2- He uses you to achieve his interests

Another sign of your interaction with a narcissistic boss is his tendency to exploit you for his selfish needs, beyond the job description. For example he might implicating you in personal tasks, performing inappropriate work, working on his own projects, or assuming part of her responsibilities, all without appropriate compensation or appreciation.

3- The obsession of excellence and prestige:

They like to remind people of the important degree they attained, the prestigious school they went to, the VIPs they relate to, the notable projects they work on, and the brilliant praise they have received from someone. They want to look constantly important, with an explosive and overrated sense of themselves.

The offices of some narcissists are shrines of self-aggrandizement:
Gold plaque on the desk, multiple awards and decorations on the shelves, and credentials, certificates of appreciation and pictures of "heroic" achievements hanging on the walls
. While there is nothing inherently wrong with displaying one's accomplishments, the pathological narcissist tends to overdo it. He or she wants to make sure you like it.

4- Show off and steal the spotlight

Many narcissistic managers like to be the center of attention, and they do this by taking control of meetings, presentations, conferences, and seminars. In these actions, they often want to remind people of their accomplishments and why their ideas and suggestions deserve special attention. Some narcissists will take advantage of these opportunities to be destructive and belittle others. They like to make themselves as strong and influential as possible.

5- Stingy in his confidence, miserly in the word of appreciation:

Some narcissist bosses are very stingy with praise. They act as if offering recognition will reduce the power of the narcissistic star within them. When they give the credit, it's usually in the context of his remarkable leadership, and pushing ahead with his ambitious agendas. They might only compliment you when they want something from you.

No matter how hard you work, if you are not important to them, they will use you, ignore you, and neglect you. If your good performance threatens a narcissist, he may do whatever it takes to reduce your fatigue and your performance.

How To Handle A Narcissist Boss

In an article published on "Forbes" magazine on "Dealing with the Narcissistic Manager", emphasized that the main goal is not to change this person, as he will not change and will resist any attempt to change strongly and firmly, but simply the goal is to make things easier for yourself as long as you cannot leave work Or you have no better chance

1- Give them some praise to satiate their ego.

Don't underestimate or blame them, especially in public.

2- Study what is important to them and excel in them:

Your manager likely has certain things he wants to do well ("otherwise"), and other things that are very negative for him.
Find out what these things are and act accordingly (even if they seem silly or unimportant to you
Never assume that they really care about you or your success. If they are nice to you, read between the lines to figure out their ultimate motive

3- Maintain your self-Esteem & compassion :

It is very important to be kind to yourself and do the things that will help you feel better and maintain your self-esteem in this difficult environment.
This might include: positive self-talk, taking short breaks to breathe and recharge yourself , coming early or staying late after your boss leaves so that you can work more when the office is more calm, planning fun things for yourself before or after work, finding time to exercise. (Even if it's a brisk walk around the block at lunch time), etc.

4- Try to avoid hurting them

Bosses with narcissistic personality disorder are very sensitive to negative emotions, and they usually cannot calmly deal with anything they feel like: confrontation, embarrassment, rebellion, disrespect, or insult.

Of course, no one likes these emotions, but narcissists tend to respond strongly and in a particularly negative way, and they are unlikely to have the objective consistency of balancing these types of negative feelings with any previous positive feelings about you.

5. Set a personal boundaries:

This doesn't mean going to your superiors' office and telling them, "Here are my limits ...!" Instead, remind yourself that you have self-control, even if you don't feel like it.
You have to be interested in preserving your personal, physical, intellectual, as well as your time boundaries, and to define for yourself first what is permissible and what is not permitted, and believe in it and practice it through your calm and confident style of response, stemming from your self-confidence, not the feeling of fear and indecision

6- Stay focused on your goals

This job may be an important stepping stone in your career or have other worthwhile benefits that make you decide to stay.
Your decision to leave or stay is a personal decision that depends on your priorities .
Regardless of whether other people tell you it is the "right thing to do".
And if you decide to stay, it can be very helpful to make a list of all the things that motivate you to continue with this job, how this job meets your needs in some way, and the benefits that will accrue to you at this stage.

On days when you feel tough to engage with your boss, refer to your list of reasons why you want to stay there. This can be a reminder that you are not the victim as you imagine, but you can instead try to focus your energy on the benefits of staying there.

The point is…

It can be extremely difficult to work with a narcissist and deal with all the possible negative emotional impacts on you, such as self-esteem, anxiety level, etc.
The good news is, the more you understand about NPD and its general emotional and behavioral patterns (as well as that person's individual patterns, preferences, ) , the more predictable your manager becomes, and the easier it is usually to work with him.

Assuming you decide to remain in your current position, remember that this is your choice, you can set your limits, and The most importantly, just describing your boss that you are stupid does not mean that you are really stupid