Dealing with a boss is almost always tricky. Very few people get a good boss. The situation is changing to an extent since many young entrepreneurs and veteran business owners do happen to have a heart and care for their employees. But a large number of bosses cutting across industries are extremely difficult to work for and deal with. If a boss happens to be a narcissist, then an employee is certainly among the most unfortunate ones. If having a boss is not bad enough, dealing with a narcissistic personality disorder boss makes the world a very gloomy and dauntingly challenging place.
Before you learn how to deal with a narcissistic personality disorder boss, you need to know if your boss is truly a narcissist. Don’t just go by what others say. In any case, most employees don’t tend to speak well of their bosses, unless one works for a Richard Branson or Warren Buffet. Even those who worked for Steve Jobs had called him names, mostly privately but at times publicly.
Signs of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder Boss
1. The boss is always right and everyone else is wrong. This is actually a humorously satiric take on how the corporate world works. But in case of a narcissistic personality disorder boss, the statement cannot be truer. He or she will not take anyone’s opinion on board. Even worse, he or she would not even entertain the opinions of others. Secretly, they may know that someone is making sense or is right but they would never acknowledge that. They have to be proven superior to everyone else at all times, even if they are not.
2. A narcissistic personality disorder boss will have a coterie. This closely knit group of people, often including employees, will be the ego feeders. They will consistently remind the boss how important, special, charming, intelligent and successful he or she is. Without this coterie, the boss is uncomfortable and beyond this group, the boss seldom entertains anyone. This group feeds the pseudo power of the narcissist boss.
3. A narcissist is always insincere. He will appear to be charming and emotional but will be shallow on both grounds. He would appear to be harmless but will always shun you at the slightest possibility when he or she is not being served to their interest. A narcissistic boss will portray oneself to be the best but will not want to be challenged or questioned. He or she would play by no rules but would expect all to play by his or her rules.
Best Methods to Deal With a Narcissistic Boss
There are many other obvious and subtle symptoms of a narcissistic personality disorder boss but these should be sufficient for you to know if you have one. If you do, then the following tips will help you to deal with the exceedingly difficult person you are working for.
1. You should first learn the behavioral traits of your boss and then prepare yourself never to get caught in the line of fire. Always avoid disappointing the boss, especially in matters that he or she considers to be the most important. After a few weeks, you will have noticed dozens of triggers which stir up a raging reaction of the boss, which is purely out of that narcissistic personality disorder within. You should invest yourself to not be the cause of those triggers. Else, losing a job will be the matter of a blink of an eye.
2. Never try to think about the causes or the nature of the narcissism that your boss has. The problem is much larger than you can think and you have nothing to do with it. Don’t be a Samaritan trying to change things and certainly don’t challenge the boss. Do you job, take your wages and perks and go home. If you don’t see yourself surviving or inclined to work at the place, look for a way out and plan your career in a different company.
3. You should play the game by their rules. Unless you are in a powerful situation within the company or in the general scheme of things where from you can have your own cards and own rules, you have to adhere to the whims of the narcissistic boss. However, you should draw some very rigid lines which should not be crossed by you or by your boss. You should not take all kinds of nonsensical behavior just because you are an employee. Walk out if those lines are crossed, which may be verbal abuse, embarrassment or any kind of unreasonable enforcement’s on you.
4. Feed the ego, as much or as little as you can and you shall do very well. If you don’t have a problem working for a narcissistic personality disorder boss which is quite possible if you have to grow in the company and in your professional life, then you must try to get into that coterie.