“All people, especially leaders, need a healthy dose of narcissism – it’s the engine that drives leadership.” ~ Manfred Kets de Vries
While some thought leaders claim that sustained business success depends on bold innovators and productive narcissists, many caution against celebrity CEOs, given that some of them have lead Enron- and Tyco-type scams.
Obsessive business leaders excel at cutting costs, culling nonperformers from the pack, and implementing the right processes and systems. On the other hand, productive narcissists want to create new games, changing the way we live and work. Which approach is better for leading your company?
The answer depends on the context.
I think that at this time in history, we need creative energy and passion more than ever before. According to Michael Maccoby, author of Narcissistic Leaders: Who Succeeds and Who Fails, what differentiates the more successful visionary leaders from the failures is strategic intelligence.
Strategic Intelligence
Think of Steve Jobs, Jack Welch, Bill Gates and Herb Kelleher, the flamboyant self-promoter who built Southwest Airlines. These leaders developed disciplined management styles by partnering with operational managers who implemented their strategies.
These visionary leaders (and others who succeed as productive narcissists) are strategically intelligent. It’s not enough to be a creative genius with media-worthy new ideas.
Building an innovative organization requires leaders who know how to motivate talented and ethical people within a socioeconomic system that creates value for customers, employees and owners.
The problem is, however, many companies, even those known for innovation, don’t want to hire or promote narcissists. No matter how much their leaders boast of encouraging independent thinking and creativity, many businesses have little tolerance for true originals or mavericks. They prefer the obsessive type who is driven to please and enforces company rules.
Too often, promotions are in short supply for high-performing, creative visionaries who aren’t “”team players”. Indeed, most narcissists don’t “play well with others” – unless, that is, they have strategic intelligence and pay close attention to the crucial requirements for leading a company to sustainable success.
I believe that with executive coaching, some creative visionaries can learn what’s needed to navigate career success, including developing their strategic intelligence. What do you think?
Creator of the KASHBOX: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits
Helping You Realize Your Potential
I help people discover their potential, expand and develop the skills and attitudes necessary to achieve a higher degree of personal and professional success and create a plan that enables them to balance the profit motives of their business with the personal motives of their lives.
