Michael Maccoby, American Psychoanalyst who is recognized for his leadership research. Maccoby believed that there were two distinctions between personality types. Productive, (Fromm 1947), free and not dependent, guided by reason, active or proactive, understands their own situation, and has a purpose in life. (Maccoby 2003), and unproductive, (Fromm 1947), limited and averse to risk, irrational, reactive, aimless, and uncommitted. Maccoby states that the best top executives are what he calls the “Productive Narcissist”. They have a vision and are able to motivate others to accept the vision and work toward it (Northouse 2013, pp327). Although I do agree with Maccoby as far as effectiveness of the productive narcissist, I do have my apprehensions about wanting to be led by this type of individual. What I find so interesting is that it seems that people gravitate toward narcissist leaders like bees to honey. Think about the current presidential republican candidate in the 2016 primary elections. His lack of empathy toward others, preoccupation with fantasies like a gigantic wall around the United States, and his continued references of his accomplishments are all tell tale signs of a narcissist. The only thing I question is how much he looks in the mirror, I mean have you seen his hair! Although he is extremely productive and obviously can lead, is the productive narcissist truly a good fit to be a long term leader. “Freud recognized that there is a darker side to narcissism. Narcissists, he pointed out, are emotionally isolated and highly distrustful. Perceived threats can trigger rage. Achievements can feed feelings of grandiosity. That’s why Freud thought narcissists were the hardest personality types to analyze (Maccoby 2000). The psychodynamic approach’s greatest strength is its study of the relationship between leader and follower. This is where I see the greatest potential to see where the narcissist leader can go wrong. Awareness on the part of the leader is extremely important in the psychodynamic approach, but if the leader is so focused on himself as we see many narcissists are, how can he or she focus on the true make up of their relationship. I do believe there must be a level of narcissism when it comes to great leadership, but it must be controlled. Productive narcissists are not only risk takers willing to get the job done but also charmers who can convert the masses with their rhetoric (Maccoby 2000). The healthy narcissist behavior involves true concern for others well being, their values will be that of high morals and honor them as well. They are ruthless competitors who at time show a lack of empathy toward their opponents. They typically have extremely good verbal skills which is why they can attract large groups of followers and get buy in on their vision as they are able to see things before they happen. The danger is that narcissism can turn unproductive when, lacking self-knowledge and restraining anchors, narcissists become unrealistic dreamers (Maccoby 2000). When we find ourselves functioning as a leader, we must be self aware that our productive narcissism is not becoming that of a hindrance in our leadership ability and affecting the leader follower relationship in a negative way.
Fromm, Erich. Man for himself, an inquiry into the psychology of ethics (1947)
Maccoby, Michael. The Productive Narcissist, the Promise and Peril of Visionary Leadership. New York: Broadway Books, 2003
Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons, by Michael Maccoby. The Harvard Business Review January-February, 2000.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage.