The Emperor Has No Clothes: The Cost of Narcissistic Leadership

Flaunting Wealth in the Face of Employees
One of the defining traits of a vain leader is an obsession with status and wealth, often flaunted conspicuously, by casually dropping their preference for certain brands during a conversation. Some self-obsessed leaders deliberately weave conversations and manipulate them such that they can ultimately boast about how nothing but the best will do for them. Whether it’s showcasing their luxury cars, designer clothes, or other symbols of success, arrogant leaders tend to display their personal wealth as a way to assert dominance. This is particularly problematic in organisations where employees may be struggling financially or underpaid. This is even more worrisome in scenarios of layoffs or reduced pay. This alienates employees, creating an ‘us versus them’ divide. Rather than inspiring the team, this behaviour fosters resentment. Employees may begin to feel that their contributions are undervalued, especially if they see their hard work benefiting only the leader’s personal lifestyle.

Glorifying Their Own Success
There are the leaders who will proudly proclaim that they wake up at 4 a.m. and work 18-hour days, using their extreme habits as a standard to judge others. Mostly, self-glorifying, while emphasising their own work ethic and achievements to the point of belittling others. A defining trait of this attitude is also the complementary attribute of withholding praise from others and not communicating appreciation.

Insecure about Commending Employees
One would think a leader is quite self-actualised and beyond praise and feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, and as such would be selfless and generous with applauding his teams. In contrast, leaders who constantly seek validation are often the ones who rarely, if ever, show appreciation. In fact, if someone else praises a team member, they may become insecure—even about their own employee—regardless of how many levels above that employee they are. This creates friction and dissatisfaction in the lower rungs of the hierarchy as some will definitely adopt ego massaging techniques to be in the good books of leaders, leaving out others in the cold. This refusal to celebrate employee success is also a huge morale killer. Recognising and appreciating the efforts of others is a cornerstone of effective leadership. When employees are denied this acknowledgment, they are left feeling undervalued, fostering disengagement and even turnover.

Lack of Accountability
Vain leaders may deflect blame for failures onto others while claiming credit for successes, even when they are not directly responsible. They often demonstrate a marked unwillingness to accept responsibility for their actions, especially when things go wrong, tending to deflect blame onto others – whether it’s subordinates, external factors, or even the broader system. This can create a culture of fear and defensiveness within the team, where employees are hesitant to take risks or speak up, knowing they might be scapegoats for failures. Moreover, these leaders are quick to claim credit for successes, even if they had little or no involvement. They may take advantage of the hard work and achievements of their team to bolster their personal image, positioning themselves as the driving force behind positive outcomes. This erodes trust, as employees feel undervalued and overlooked, which can lead to low morale and high turnover.

Preying Politicians
Some street-smart employees would actually see this as an opportunity to exploit for their own benefit, massaging egos and extracting their pound of flesh, by undermining other team members and taking advantage of the leader’s tendency to deflect blame. Cunning employees with malicious intent have a field day in such a scenario as there is erosion of trust overall and hence easier to spread falsehoods that works to their advantage, positioning them as more capable or loyal, without being immediately challenged. This breeds a toxic work environment, as team members begin to compete for the leader’s favour, rather than collaborate toward shared goals. The overall lack of accountability from leadership creates fertile ground for deceit and backstabbing, as the leader is often more focused on their own image than on the integrity and cohesion of the team.
In the long run, this leads to a deeply fractured work culture. The erosion of trust within the team makes open communication rare, and genuine teamwork becomes difficult to achieve. Without accountability and transparency, these toxic employees can rise to positions of influence, further destabilising the organisation and creating a vicious cycle of insecurity, competition, and dishonesty.

Time Management & Disregard for other’s time
An inflated sense of importance leads them to overestimate the importance of their tasks and meetings, while devaluing other’s schedules. They purposefully remain unpredictable so they can exert a sense of dominance, forcing others to adapt to them – to constantly remind others – who the boss is. There is a tendency to make decisions based on their own needs and priorities, rarely considering how their choices will impact others in the organisation. This results in poor time management because their focus is on what benefits them, not on what is efficient for the team or the organisation. Moreover, such situations give them a chance to exhibit how busy and in-demand they are, when the truth is that they just lack discipline with time management.