11 Delusional Beliefs Narcissistic Bosses Have About Themselves & The People Who Work For Them
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock Narcissistic traits often exist on a spectrum, and even great bosses have at least a few of them from time-to-time. Truly narcissistic employers, however, carry delusional beliefs about themselves and the people who work into the workplace, and it can cause serious problems.
The biggest problems happen when narcissist bosses don't see how destructive they can be. This is echoed by the people that hire and promote them. They often think these narcissists are charming before getting to know them, which research shows is a common trend with narcissists. To break this narcissist spell, let's look at some of these beliefs.
Narcissistic employers usually have 11 delusional beliefs about themselves & the people who work for them
1. 'The rules don't apply to me'
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Narcissistic employers have a sense of superiority that leads them to think that they're above the rules. They see the procedures and policies as being necessary restraints for everyone but themselves.
According to psychology professor Brad Bushman, who co-authored a study on narcissism, people who are narcissistic don't mind admitting that they think they shouldn't be governed by the same rules as everyone else.
"People who are narcissists are almost proud of the fact. You can ask them directly because they don't see narcissism as a negative quality — they believe they are superior to other people and are fine with saying that publicly," he said. "Overall, narcissism is problematic for both individuals and society. Those who think they are already great don't try to improve themselves."
A narcissistic boss who doesn't follow protocol and disregards the company's standards could very well put their employees in harm's way, while negatively impacting the quality of their experience on the job. And they're proud of it.
2. 'I never make mistakes'
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Another delusional belief narcissistic employers have about themselves and the people who work for them is that they never make any mistakes, but their employees do. Their oversized egos lead them to believe that they're completely above failure, unlike the people who work for them. If anything does go wrong on the job, they're quick to blame extenuating circumstances or their own employees.
Licensed psychologist Dr. Sherrie Campbell noted that narcissists live in a "world of distortion." According to Dr. Campbell, "From their perception, they never make mistakes, are never wrong, and their motives are always of pure intent. They take no responsibility for their behavior."
If one of their employees dares to challenge them, narcissistic bosses will often respond with anger. As Dr. Campbell explained, "They'll use anything to justify their anger while pointing the way you're actually in the wrong. They only see certain 'facts' and eliminate all other useful (or fair) information."
3. 'I deserve special treatment'
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Narcissistic employers often hold the delusional belief that they're entitled to special treatment that no one else in the office receives. While they might hold their employees to impossibly high standards, they refuse to do the same for themselves. It doesn't matter if they miss a deadline, because they see themselves as the exception.
They think they should get privileges no one else has access to, because they're always seeking out ways to elevate their status. Even more to the point, their delusional beliefs about the people who work for them allow them to believe others deserve less.
An article from the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science described grandiose narcissism as "a personality trait marked by beliefs of personal superiority and a sense of entitlement to special treatment." The study noted that "viewing oneself as superior implies viewing others as inferior; viewing oneself as entitled to special privileges implies viewing others as not."
Therefore, a narcissistic boss not only thinks they should be given special privileges, they also think no one else deserves those same privileges.
4. 'They should be grateful to work for me'
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Their inherent lack of empathy means narcissistic employers genuinely don't see anything wrong with how they treat other people. They think their workers should feel lucky to even have a job at all, let alone a job with such amazing leadership.
Along with a lack of empathy, a sense of grandiosity and entitlement, narcissism can also be defined by a chronic need for external validation and a need for other people's admiration.
As clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula explained on an APA podcast, those traits "really create the core of that disorder, and then that's coupled with this sort of inability to regulate self-esteem." Dr. Durvasula revealed that narcissism can be categorized as "a disorder of self-esteem."
"People with narcissism are often the most insecure people in the room and they've established a way of showing themselves as anything but," she said. "They often look like the most confident person in the room but there's an emptiness there."
Because narcissistic bosses have such a superiority complex, they lead their teams with the misplaced idea that their employees should express a sycophantic level of gratitude, just to have the honor of working for them.
5. 'This job comes before everything else'
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Narcissistic employers often hold on tightly to the delusional belief that there's no such thing as work-life balance. They think their workers should prioritize the job above everything else, because their families and personal lives aren't as important as the company's success.
Their belief that work should be the center of everyone's existence can show up in various ways. They consistently cross the boundaries their workers have set, and they see no issue with expecting their employees to answer calls and emails at any time, even on weekends. They see no need for their workers to take vacations, pushing them to the edge of extreme burnout.
They have no regard for anyone's emotional well-being, as their overall lack of empathy makes it impossible for them to understand how other people feel.
6. 'My workers owe me loyalty'
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Narcissistic employers believe their workers owe them a level of undivided loyalty that they definitely don't plan on returning in kind. They often declare that their company is like a family, which is a problematic statement on its own, but they also don't offer the kind of respect or safeguards that do come with being part of a family.
They think their employees should trust them implicitly, but they do nothing to earn that trust.
Despite their delusional belief that they're owed loyalty, they don't offer their employees any job security. They have no issue firing employees without due cause, since they don't actually care about them as people. They see their workers as a means to an end, and they have no problem cutting them loose after they've achieved their goals.
7. 'I don't need to explain myself'
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For narcissistic bosses, there's no need for them to explain themselves. They don't offer any justifications for the choices they make, even when those choices directly affect the people who work for them. They expect unquestioned obedience, despite a complete lack of transparency.
A research article titled The Role of Personality in Human Resource Management touched on the personality traits that are generally associated with "the classic narcissist in the workplace."
They described a narcissist in the workplace as someone who is "overconfident... dominant, attention-seeking, interpersonally skilled and charming, but also unwilling to take criticism, aggressive, high in psychological entitlement, lacking in true empathy, interpersonally exploitative and grandiose or even haughty."
A narcissistic boss's entitlement, coupled with their inability to truly receive any feedback, usually creates a workplace environment where open and direct communication doesn't exist.
8. 'They could never make it without me'
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Narcissistic bosses believe that they're indispensable to their company, which means they see their workplace being in service to them, instead of themselves being in service to their company and employees. Their ego and grandiose sense of self makes them think they're irreplaceable, and that the company and its employees would be lost without them.
A narcissistic boss puts strong emphasis on social status. They view their leadership role as being more important than any other position in the company, which means they look down on their employees. While they underestimate their workers' capabilities, they don't hesitate to take credit for work their team has done.
Still, their distorted sense of self-importance makes them think that their workers would fail without their guidance.
9. 'They're just jealous of my success'
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A belief that narcissistic employers have about themselves and their workers is that everyone at the company is jealous of their success. This belief is tied into their inability to accept constructive feedback. If an employee makes a suggestion or attempts to offer critique, a narcissistic boss ignores the content of the conversation and exclaims that the employee is jealous.
They hold onto the idea that everyone else envies the status they've achieved. Because they have such a low level of emotional intelligence, they're virtually incapable of self-reflection.
They don't consider how their actions affect the people they work with. When they're challenged, they fall back on having a victim mentality, as though their colleagues were out to get them because of how jealous they are.
For their workers, their jealous outbursts can cause long-term consequences. Research from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that a toxic workplace creates psychological strain, increases levels of burnout and stress, causes employees to disengage, decreases productivity, and leads to high turnover rates. But for a narcissistic boss, none of this really matters.
10. 'All my ideas are visionary'
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Narcissistic bosses think every idea they have is a groundbreaking, genius-level thought that will revolutionize the way the company functions. They're unable to acknowledge being wrong, or even just mediocre, which means they can't see when their ideas are too impractical (or unimpressive) to actually work.
As research published in the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science explained, narcissists are more likely to be aggressive and intimidating than people who aren't narcissistic. In their pursuit of power, status, and wealth, it's likely that they'll follow through with their ideas, even when they could potentially damage the company.
The article noted that "Narcissists have been shown to be more likely to exaggerate their competences or lie to get ahead," and they are "more likely to make high-risk investments." Their inability for introspection and their inflated sense of self often leads them down the wrong path, yet their adherence to their delusional beliefs is so strong, they'd never acknowledge the error of their ways.
11. 'This place doesn't run without me'
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It can be tempting for any employer to believe that their workplace simply doesn't run without them, that it would fall apart and fail. In almost all cases, that's totally false.
Great bosses know they're valuable, but not the only piece of the puzzle. As soon as they get honest about what they bring (and do not bring) to the table, that it isn't just their brilliant leadership that makes their workplace run, they can see who else is holding everything up. Often, there are one or two people working below them who do more than anyone realizes.
The best leaders not only know who actually holds things together around their business, they reward those people handsomely and give them affirmation and praise when appropriate. They look at the systems that make those people so effective and try to replicate those for others.
Narcissistic bosses, on the other hand, need to believe they're the glue that holds things together, otherwise everything they think and feel about themselves is at risk of falling apart. As you can imagine, this is not a great way to create a productive, rewarding workplace!
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.
