Narcissism and toxic leadersheip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Narcissism and toxic leadersheip - Essay Example (Pfeffer, 2012) One of the most recent examples of such leadership behavior is that of the Gen. Petraeus who was disgraced and has to resign from the position of CIA Head. It is argued that those in power tend to often forget about others and pursue their own goals and become action oriented. Petraeus was also considered as one such leader who believed that rules are not for them and that they are special and invulnerable. However, the fact that Gen. Petraeus was removed from his position because he acted on his impulses and engaged in activities which were considered as unethical from a leader of his position and power. This paper will discuss the personality of Gen. Petraeus as a Narcissistic leader and what impact he had on his organization, explore as to whether followers were contributing towards this toxic vision and what organizational checks and balances were in place to control his behavior. One of the key requirements of working in an organization like CIA is the extreme confidentiality as well as the secrecy. As per the existing procedures, CIA officials are required to maintain both these aspects of doing their job. It has been argued that the overall behavior of Gen actually compromised the national security because he was not only a four start General in US army but also fought important wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was accused of having unacceptable extramarital affairs with his biographer Paula Broadwell who was studying his leadership behavior during US’s war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Self-Centered model of leadership can result into negative outcomes for the organizations especially if leaders are not productive. A relative alternative of this approach is character centric leadership style which can offer leaders a relative and practical advantage over others. However, for Narcissist leaders, character