Tapping the surprising science of “humble narcissism”

• Narcissism is a personality trait that makes a person represent an excessive, almost exclusive focus on the self, putting the social structure out of balance and leading to toxic behaviour, especially at the workplace.
• Narcissists can appear charismatic and leader-like, but eventually come across as needy, egoistic people craving for attention and validation.
• Showcasing drive, self-confidence and a desire to lead brings productive results, but leads to negative outcomes if it is self-centered.

Narcissism, it turns out, is not a one-dimensional personality and there are nuances in character and behaviour.

Humble narcissists, people who are egoistic but still able to admit mistakes, and leaders that are trainable, or are able to give other people credit, are a paradoxical but strong leadership package.