Not are derailments are the fault of the executive. An important part of the diagnosis is to determine if there is a narcissistic leader in the mix.
Bill (real story, not his real name) was a client who struggled with getting promoted. Bill was a very smart, highly analytical, and ambitious individual who did not take no for an answer. Yet Bill could be perceived as cold and distant because of his tendency to be more introverted than extraverted. Bill also came from a home where he was not acknowledged for speaking. In fact, in his home there was the rule of silence. The dictate when he was growing up was that “children are to be seen but not heard.” Remarkably, Bill overcame his background and was able to move up as a financial person.
The real problem was Bill had a boss named Wendy who epitomized the narcissistic leader. These narcissistic leaders seek to admired and aggressively pursue their goals. They are independent and aggressive and can be constantly looking for enemies and will, under extreme stress “degenerate into paranoia” (for a detailed look into this subject please see the article “Narcisstic Leaders-The Incredible Pros, The Inevitable Cons,” by Michael Maccoby, Harvard Business Review, 1999).
Narcissistic leaders can have scores of followers and a great vision. On the flip side, they can also be sensitive to criticism and poor listeners and have a lack of empathy. They do not make good mentors.
Wendy only did what was in Wendy’s best interest. In fact, Wendy spent a great deal of time coordinating meetings. She even coordinated a strategic planning meeting one month after the initial strategic planning meeting. She brought people from all over the world to attend. The result was that most people during the second meeting were bored and kept wondering why they were attending.
The answer was that Wendy needed an audience. As a true narcissist, Wendy needed attention. She craved the accolades and the reminders of what a wonderful boss and person she was. The result was her leadership capital and respect suffered. Yet, Wendy was adept and talented at managing up. She managed her “Executive Brand” with her superiors with aplomb and applause.
Bill came to realize that Wendy could get away with her behavior because of the superior numbers her business unit was generating (in business, exceeding one’s financial goals can cover a multitude of sins).
Wendy had promised Bill a promotion. While Wendy did recommend Bill be promoted, because of a corporate snag with the final signature he did not get his promotion. His derailment was almost what would be considered “derailment by proxy.” This means that the organization dynamics caused the derailment, not Bill’s behavior.
Once this happened, Wendy was embarrassed. She then promised Bill to help him find another position. Instead of helping Bill, Wendy turned on him. One day Bill was seen as promotable, and the next day he was seen as a question mark when it came to his contribution to the organization.
