Narcissism in work environment.

[Jussi Halonen]

A Narcissist does that mean he's a daffodil then?

How about a... no.

 

[Jussi Halonen]

You wouldn't actually have to "set him up". As Mr Culture has advised keep things documented and he will probably do the deed himself.

We have a saying in the UK. "Give them enough rope and they will hang themselves".

Maybe we should give him some rope and see if the saying has any truth to it.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

A Narcissist does that mean he's a daffodil lover then?

I LOVE narcissi!

 

[User482]

You don't see the word narcissist used much these days, I commend your perspicacity.

I was about to salute his indefatigability.

 

[gavgav]

I'm having a hard time at work because one of my colleagues is a narcissist. Every phase in the workflow must be carried out his way and questioning his working habits will result in an instant standoff. Today I spoke with our manager about the situation and he promised to take some disciplinary actions. Of course as soon the narcissist shared his "point of view", the whole situation turned upside down. Suddenly it was our work community that oppressed and purposely tried to target him so it would lead to him leaving the workplace. These disciplinary actions mentioned before are now carried toward us.

Please share your similar experiences and possible solutions how you got these knots untied. This situation is having a negative influence on the environment of our workplace. *sigh*

We have a woman in our office just like that. She is completely incapable at doing her job, yet gets paid more than those of us who have to keep mopping up her cock ups. She asks questions on how to do things ALL the time, don't get me wrong I will help anyone once or tiwce, but when they keep asking the same bloody question about 15 times i'm afraid my nice side disappears! She also moans constantly about the window being open and yet she insists on sitting by the bloody window and won't move!! She is a complete attention seeker and when she takes her many personal calls on the work line, likes to speak MUCH LOUDER SO THAT EVERYONE CAN HERE WHAT SHE IS SAYING and does everything she can loudly, i.e. Sneezing, throwing keys on desk, etc, etc, etc...............

 

[Jussi Halonen]

We have a woman in our office just like that. She is completely incapable at doing her job, yet gets paid more than those of us who have to keep mopping up her cock ups. She asks questions on how to do things ALL the time, don't get me wrong I will help anyone once or tiwce, but when they keep asking the same bloody question about 15 times i'm afraid my nice side disappears! She also moans constantly about the window being open and yet she insists on sitting by the bloody window and won't move!! She is a complete attention seeker and when she takes her many personal calls on the work line, likes to speak MUCH LOUDER SO THAT EVERYONE CAN HERE WHAT SHE IS SAYING and does everything she can loudly, i.e. Sneezing, throwing keys on desk, etc, etc, etc...............

Might not be a narcissist but surely a pain in the arse. There are too many disorders to choose from nowadays .

 

[dellzeqq]

well...........you can't design a building and manage the building contract without a fair amount of self-regard and a bit of ruthlessness so....given that I probably share some of your friend's traits then the following might be of some help.

1. Give in. He's not going to go away.
2. Offer alternative routes to propping up his self-regard. There is pleasure to be gained (for him) from collaboration, particularly if that collaboration is on his terms. Narcissists don't usually do collaboration, but, should they get the hang of it, the potential for manipulation and subterfuge is so extraordinarily vast that the act of compromising becomes even more spookily gratifying than winning.
3. Bypass him and watch him trying to catch up, then change course again. Set hares running and then let them get caught. This is a favourite with contractors' quantity surveyors, although, to be fair, they usually think short term and are often bewildered when vengeance is visited on them months later.
4. Recognise his strengths. He's thinking long term - you're thinking by the hour. The work he does will be his legacy, not yours. If it matters to you as much as it matters to him, then look, learn and copy.

 

[craigwend]

He'll go far...

In 2005, psychologists Belinda Board and Katarina Fritzon at the University of Surrey, UK, interviewed and gave personality tests to high-level British executives and compared their profiles with those of criminal psychiatric patients at Broadmoor Hospital in the UK. They found that three out of eleven personality disorders were actually more common in executives than in the disturbed criminals:

• Histrionic personality disorder: including superficial charm, insincerity, egocentricity and manipulation
• Narcissistic personality disorder: including grandiosity, self-focused lack of empathy for others, exploitativeness and independence.
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: including perfectionism, excessive devotion to work, rigidity, stubbornness and dictatorial tendencies.[36]

According to leading leadership academic Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, it seems almost inevitable these days that there will be some personality disorders in a senior management team.[37]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

 

[Drago]

I couldn't care less. I turn up, do my best, go home. If someone else wants to behave like a prat then I'm not gonna catch an ulcer over it.

To many of life's problems are caused by worrying about what everyone else is getting up to. Screw 'em.

 

[Andy_R]

Ask yourself if you live to work, or you work to live. Then respond appropriately. F*ckem tends to be my response as I cycle off.

 

[Drago]

I work to eat.

 

[Globalti]

Surely narcissism isn't the right word here? A narcissist is somebody who is self-obsessed to the point that they are constantly preening and admiring themselves. The OP's colleague is more of an egotist or simply a bully.

Edit: looking at your reflection in shop windows as you cycle past is narcissistic. No one on CC does that, I'm sure.

 

[Spinney]

Edit: looking at your reflection in shop windows as you cycle past is narcissistic. No one on CC does that, I'm sure.

Only to check my pannier's still attached...

 

[Arsen Gere]

I've worked with people like this. In their desire to seek recognition it is quite easy to allow them to take on excessive amounts of work they can't possibly handle. This can be compounded by allowing them to build confidence in your ability and then to introduce a number of obstacles beyond your control or requiring some kind of management clearance or affirmation. The excess workload leads to failure and their objectives are defeated.
Once on the ground you can assist by unblocking some of the problems and they recognise their depenancy on you.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I'm having a hard time at work because one of my colleagues is a narcissist. Every phase in the workflow must be carried out his way and questioning his working habits will result in an instant standoff. Today I spoke with our manager about the situation and he promised to take some disciplinary actions. Of course as soon the narcissist shared his "point of view", the whole situation turned upside down. Suddenly it was our work community that oppressed and purposely tried to target him so it would lead to him leaving the workplace. These disciplinary actions mentioned before are now carried toward us.

Please share your similar experiences and possible solutions how you got these knots untied. This situation is having a negative influence on the environment of our workplace. *sigh*

Just do it his way. Why wouldn't you want to?