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Characteristics Of The Humble Narcissistic

Decent Essays

The humble narcissist
Steve Jobs makes for a riveting leadership case study because he was a remarkable innovator, exceptional marketer, and a visionary while at the same time being vicious, narcissistic and tyrannical. He is the textbook case for someone with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder but what sets him apart from the rest of the narcissists was that he was successful in harnessing the strengths of narcissism while tempering its weakness.
From its inception in 1976, Apple was run by Jobs with an iron first. He was infamous for being consumed with his sense of importance and brilliance to the point where he unfalteringly damaged others by exploiting and bullying them. He was rightly accused of being egoistic, controlling, manipulative, condescending and impassive. He was often guilty of humiliating subordinates publicly, planning coups against colleagues and overriding other’s opinions and suggestions. His weaknesses lead to his ouster form Apple in 1985. At just 30 years old, he was jobless, branded a public failure and on the verge of depression.
Jobs realized that inculcating self-involvement with humility will help him succeed, and that realization only came to him when he was humiliated. When narcissism works in tandem with expressions of humility, it fosters the best outcomes. Effective leaders are individuals who learn to balance disparate leadership qualities with humility to prevent their narcissism from damaging their leadership effectiveness (Owens,

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