Narcissistic and Machiavellian leadership
Introduction
This particular essay provides a complete contrast and comparison of the two leadership approaches, namely the Narcissistic leadership and Machiavellian leadership, along with its concepts that are used in organizations. A critical analysis of the respective strength and weakness aspects of both these leadership styles are also done. Examples of high profile business leaders who follow these leadership styles are also given in this essay for a better understanding and correlation of the approaches. A proper presentation and comparison of both the leadership approaches are provided in the piece that will help identify the critical aspects of both models.
Comparison and contrast of both the approaches
Narcissistic leadership
There are a few fundamental differences in the basic concepts of both these leadership approaches, with some being of comparative and contrastive nature. The narcissistic style of leadership is known as the approach in which the leaders of particular organizations prioritize themselves and their interests even to the detriment of others. Narcissistic behavior primarily deals with the traits of dominance, hostility, and arrogance of leaders (Bardi, 2015). This particular leadership style becomes destructive for the organization and employees when the leader needs power, admiration, and dominance on a demanding basis. There are a few common concepts and attributes of narcissistic leadership that can be observed in the leaders.
The concepts of narcissism lead with a vision, desire to be admired, inadequate mentoring and guiding, competitiveness, building empires, and lack of empathy. Narcissistic leadership deals with the importance of having a vision that people will believe in. The narcissistic leaders create the need for improvement and development in their respective organizations. Egocentric leadership deals with admiration by the employees, and they usually have several followers. The leaders are often skillful orators who attract followers due to their enigmatic and charismatic personality (Cook, 2015). Lack of empathy among the narcissistic leaders results in bad mentoring for the employees and other organizations’ staff. The leaders are mostly self-reliant and do not believe in mentoring or guiding the subordinates.
The leaders are also mercilessly competitive and are persistent in their pursuit of success. Narcissism as a theory is shallow in conscience, and the leaders are capable of doing whatever it takes to succeed. The ethical aspect of narcissism is fragile. The leaders of this nature are very ambitious and want to take over the world to build an empire (Follesdal, 2015). They sometimes indulge in unethical methods to achieve supremacy in the building of the Business Empire. Unethical behaviors are often the result of a lack of empathy from the leaders. The leaders are not very empathetic, but they rather expect compassion from others. The lack of empathy can act as a positive agent in times of chaotic and radical changes within the organizations.
Machiavellian leadership
Machiavellian leadership primarily deals with the manipulation and exploitation of other employees and subordinates for the perceived personal agendas and maintaining dominance over others (Follesdal, 2015). This particular leadership usually never shows humility and mostly depicts arrogance in dealing with others. This type of leadership possesses some fundamental differences and contrasts as compared to the narcissistic approach of leadership. However, Machiavellian leadership is considered far more dangerous in terms of principles and concepts as they can sometimes deal with the negative aspects of the human mind. Machiavelli was a politician who was born in Italy, and he developed several policies based on leadership. He emphasized that for a leader to be successful in ventures, it was necessary to be ruthless in making healthy decisions for the company’s benefit.
He also provided concepts that mentioned that leaders should be feared rather than be loved if they cannot possess both qualities. To avoid revolts, leaders should take support because, without permission from people, it will be challenging to take proper action against the uprisings. He also made assertions that were later conceptualized in business management principles regarding the intelligence and virtues of being an influential leader (Gnambs, 2017). Machiavellian leadership concepts also state that leaders were compelled to deal with the world as it is, rather than how they wished it could have been. This action meant that if leaders are naturally kind, considerate, and generous in the approach, it could weaken their leadership qualities. However, the concepts of Machiavelli were developed in times that were mostly ruled by the strong men rather than the wise ones. Hence, the ideas of Machiavelli cannot be applied to every problem occurring in modern-day business organizations. The present business leadership scenario can, however, adopt five important positive insights that Machiavelli provided a long time ago. These five insights can influence the business leaders of the 21 st century and make a positive impact on the business.
He emphasized the presence of leaders in every problem and making themselves available for the employees. This act can boost the employees’ morale and help them remain motivated and focused on work (Holland and Glauser, 2016). Learning from others is also a concept that he emphasized on and he also said that prior preparation was always needed to combat unexpected challenges. Loving the people around and getting constant feedback was also integral to developing quality leadership skills and abilities.
These two leadership styles are somewhat distinctive from each other and are varied in nature; however, applying these principles may bring similar or mixed results in the leadership aspect of business organizations.
Critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses of both the leadership approaches
Strengths of narcissistic leadership
The primary strength of leaders with a narcissistic approach is that the leaders push for better and bigger possible things in the business, and they are always willing to take risks that other people would not feel comfortable taking. Positive results can be achieved by implementing this strategy as it can lead to improvements in the overall business performance of organizations. Consistency in every approach is one strength of narcissistic leadership that has the potential to achieve organizational goals. The leaders usually possess a high set of values and tread on a consistent path towards success. Proper creation and implementation of plans are expected from leaders with a positive amount of narcissism (Jacobson, 2016). This type of leader has a strong desire to reach the goals; they can positively influence people to follow their guidance and help accomplish the plans.
Weaknesses of narcissistic leadership
The primary weakness of narcissistic leaders is the utilization of others for their gains through egoistic power. To get ahead in some work or take credit for something, the leaders may do this by using/her followers. They are also not preferred or liked by their subordinates due to their thankless, arrogant, and impulsive nature. Reluctance for working under narcissistic leaders can be seen around the world in various organizations. There is also one weakness associated with this form of leadership that is the overestimation of the leader’s qualities and underestimation of their follower’s capabilities (Nichols, 2016). This action can create bias and a partial atmosphere in the organizations with the rise in internal conflicts.
There are also two weak critical aspects of the narcissist approach of leadership. They are the inability to accept criticism and the failure to listen properly to what others might say. The nature of narcissist is usually compassionate, which makes them unable to take positive and constructive criticism. They can behave quite rudely against those who voice a negative complaint against them. These leaders are usually not good listeners, and they assume that subordinates do not have much to contribute to the organization; hence they should not be taken seriously (Sellers, 2015). The disinterest in listening to any other employees or subordinates can result in a negative impact on the leader.
Strengths of Machiavellian leadership
There are primarily five strengths associated with the Machiavellian approach of leadership. They are considered as the leader being feared, providing the support of the governed, portrayal of virtues, possessing intelligence, and having good decisive power. The fear of leaders rather than being loved is one trait that was considered relevant in medieval times because people were less likely to revolt against the leaders. However, in a democratic world like the present times, this strength is not applicable, as people will choose a lovable leader more than someone who is feared (Toh and Ruot, 2019). The second strength of this leadership trait is having the support of the people. The support of people is integral to the decision-making skills and abilities of the leader. If the leaders are not fulfilling the basic needs of people, they cannot provide respect to the leader.
The display of virtues is also a crucial aspect of the Machiavellian leadership style. It is considered the third most vital strength of this form of leadership as it helps gain the trust and support of the people. Showing good virtues in public will help in gaining and attracting followers towards the leaders. Decision-making skills are the fourth trait that is considered the strength of this form of leadership. The power to make crucial decisions will help in trust and faith by the followers. The vital skills can impact the performance of any business or governance and enhance the skills of the leader. The fifth and last strength that is considered integral to Machiavellian leadership is intelligence (Y Scouts, 2014). A leader must be very sharp and intelligent with a fair amount of intuitive skills. Proper intelligence allows leaders to display confidence and pride among the followers.
Weaknesses of Machiavellian leadership
The prime weakness of this approach is providing a free license to the leader to do whatever he wants at his own will. Leaders who are bad intentioned can benefit a lot from implementing this kind of approach in business or politics. Leaders can manipulate events and situations and turn in favor of them for obtaining benefits. The advice that is provided by the leaders can be used for wrong and unethical purposes. Many times the leaders can take unwanted advantages of certain situations and can make false accusations on their followers for some wrongdoings that the leaders did(Bardi, 2015). The weakness of this type of leadership can harm the leaders and also create trouble for the followers and the employees.
It can be assumed that the Narcissistic form of leadership is somewhat different from the Machiavellian type of leadership. The first one is relatable to the business organizations and is relevant in organizational leadership, whereas the second approach is more relatable to the political and governance leadership applications. The nature of both aspects is distinctive, with a few common elements, but they all convey one similar leadership approach (Cook, 2015). The general traits and the strengths, along with the weaknesses, help differentiate both the leadership aspects.
Examples of high profile contemporary business leaders
High profile and contemporary business leaders who follow the selfish leadership approach are Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Larry Page, and Dell’s Michael Dell. Many other contemporary global leaders also follow this type of leadership in their respective designations that have a positive impact on the organization (Follesdal, 2015). The examples of leaders who follow the Machiavellian approach are African businessman Aliko Dangote who is the richest man in Nigeria and the Ex-President of the U.S.A. Ronald Reagan from the political and governance fraternity.
Conclusion
The essay is a complete description of the traits and characteristics of both the forms of leadership that are instrumental in obtaining the successful outcome of organizations and nations. The leaders possess different qualities that help in deciding the future of the companies and their employees. The strengths of the Narcissistic approach in leadership are more varied than Machiavelli’s model of leadership. The global business leaders mostly follow the narcissistic process of leadership in business. The Machiavellian concept of leadership was practiced mainly by politicians and businessmen in the past and has minimal relevance in today’s world. The prevalence of negative aspects of this leadership is more than the positive aspects; therefore, it is not practiced in democratic countries nowadays. Leaders can misuse the opportunities to their favor and exploit the situations in the organizations and businesses. It is at this moment concluded that both forms of leadership have a significant impact on the performance of organizations and governance.
References
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