How to Deal with a Narcissist in the Workplace

• How can you deal with a narcissist in the workplace?
• And what to do if you interact with narcissists daily?

Contrary to common beliefs, narcissists are not evil and not that dangerous, provided that you know how to deal with them the right way. A narcissist in the workplace is just like a narcissist everywhere; he will walk, talk, and act in certain ways.

By understanding the psychology of narcissism and learning how to best deal with them, you won’t have any problem dealing with a narcissist in the workplace.

To deal with a narcissist in the workplace, you must first understand him.

Narcissists are people who think that they are superior, omnipotent, and invulnerable. From the outside, narcissists seem to be superior and powerful, but they feel insecure and vulnerable from the inside.

Narcissists act this way as a result of the wounds they developed earlier in their lives.

A narcissist who works with you and claims to be superior might be acting that way because he used to feel worthless earlier in his life. As a result of this wound, he decided to devalue everyone around him, including those who work with him, to protect his ego.

The right way to deal with a narcissist in the workplace

the way you will deal with a narcissist in the workplace should depend on the position of that narcissist in the company and on his importance to you.

If the narcissist is an important person to you, don’t try to point out his flaws or ignore him because he will consider that a direct insult to his pride.

If the narcissist is competing with you in the workplace, then still, you should not attack him because that would motivate him to prove you wrong at all costs.

It’s not uncommon for a narcissist who works with you to become your boss a few months after telling him that he can never be a boss.

You can control a narcissist in the workplace very easily by playing on his emotions. For example, if you were the boss and wanted the narcissist to do his work well, you should use negative motivation. For example, telling the narcissist that he can’t do something at work will motivate him to do it correctly and prove him wrong.

Don’t mistake overusing negative motivation in the workplace because that would certainly make the narcissist hate you.

The best thing you can do about that is to motivate him that way. Then when he reaches that important goal, you reveal to him the reason behind the negative motivation you used.

If you complimented a narcissist, he will certainly like you but don’t overdo it to lose motivation. After all, if a narcissist started thinking that his work is perfect right now and that there is no need to work harder, he won’t make any more effort.