Not every difficult leader or colleague is a narcissist. However, narcissistic tendencies can appear more often in high-pressure, high-visibility environments where competition, status, and influence are rewarded. These behaviours can negatively impact team culture, psychological safety, and collaboration, especially when left unchecked.

Why it matters

Narcissistic behaviour in the workplace can:

• Erode trust and psychological safety
• Reduce innovation and healthy challenge
• Increase stress, burnout, and turnover
• Undermine team performance in the long term

Recognising the patterns early allows leaders and team members to navigate them more effectively.

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Signs of a Boss With Narcissistic Tendencies

These individuals typically sit in positions of power and use that power to reinforce their own status, rather than lift others.

They may:

• Take credit for positive outcomes but blame others for problems
• Prioritise visibility over contribution. Looking good matters more than doing good
• Surround themselves with “yes-people” and shut down healthy dissent
• Demonstrate fragile ego. For example, react defensively to feedback or challenge
• Show lack of empathy and treat team members as tools, not humans
• Use people strategically for their own advancement, then discard them
• Display entitlement. Example: Rules don’t apply to them

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Signs of a Colleague With Narcissistic Tendencies

While less powerful, they can still significantly impact team dynamics.

You may notice:

• Constant self-promotion and storytelling centred around their heroics
• Competition over collaboration. They need to win, even inside the team
• Manipulation, gaslighting, or undermining others to stay ahead
• Difficulty celebrating others’ success, unless they can share the spotlight
• Over-reaction to perceived slights or not being recognised

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The Leadership Psychology Behind It

Narcissistic traits often mask deeper vulnerabilities:

• A fragile sense of self hidden behind grandiosity
• Dependency on external validation
• Fear of inadequacy or losing control

Understanding this doesn’t excuse the behaviour, but it helps you navigate it with strategy rather than frustration.

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How to Protect Yourself (Without Losing Yourself)

Here are practical approaches to safeguard your emotional energy and professional integrity:

1) Set Boundaries Without Fanfare

Be clear about your role, priorities, and what’s acceptable.

Disengage from power struggles. Narcissistic behaviours thrive on drama.

2) Document Everything

Keep records of decisions, agreements, and responsibilities.
This protects you if blame-shifting begins.

3) Manage Up With Neutral Professionalism

Stay focused on facts, deliverables, and outcomes.
Don’t feed their ego but don’t publicly deflate it either.

4) Build Allies

Healthy relationships elsewhere create a buffer.
Isolation is a narcissist’s best weapon.

5) Avoid Taking Behaviour Personally

Their reactions usually reveal their internal world — not your worth.

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If You Are the Leader Supporting a Team Member Impacted by Narcissistic Behaviour

• Address toxic behaviours early and don’t dismiss them as “strong personalities”
• Reward collaboration and humility, not just self-promotion
• Provide coaching or boundaries to reduce the team-wide impact

Culture either tames narcissism or enables it.

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The Real Test of Leadership

Great leadership is not measured by how much power one holds but by how they make others feel in their presence.

Narcissistic tendencies may rise to the top quickly…
But they rarely create environments where others can rise with them.

Strong leaders build significance through service, not superiority.