Welcome to the workplace jungle, where narcissists hide in the shadows like cheetahs in sheep’s clothing, ready to pounce on your confidence and sanity
I have worked in different environments and of them all, there never lacked a narcissist. In one of them was this gentleman supposedly 30 years. Dude could make attaches shake like leaves on a windy rainy evening. He was never the supervisor but scolded harshly, “young man, if you don’t bring that logbook tomorrow you will never graduate!” these scares were his daily mantra.
He could insult the attaches, call them fools and all sorts of hurt. This weirdo appeared to enjoy all this.
The other place was this mid-twenty boy who thought the world must revolve around him. This little nigga surpassed all the narcissists I have ever seen in this life. All that he said was final and no one was to talk after him. According to his clogged brain, for something to succeed he was to be there. At some point he tried to direct me, and I was like dude, you have no damn thought what my work entails so shut the hell up.
Little nigga was wounded deeply and could use power and exercise authority to try sooth himself but seems it wasn’t working because we could go into war after a few days of reconciliation.
He sort of won the boss’ trust so he did everything that he wanted to soothe his ego. From stepping on colleagues’ heads to being on their neck if they didn’t do what he wanted. However, accountability didn’t apply to his side, because he was the ‘boss’ here. The attitude was ‘I am better and above you all, so you tell me nothing’
Apologizing and accepting his mistakes equaled chopping off his thumb. He would rather bleed to death than admit he was wrong. To him, he was faultless, blameless, the best, most intelligent, always right, go-to person, savior of the company and as selfish as a housefly (ruining someone meal regardless of whether they are dying of hunger).
So, anyone like me who appeared a threat, mind reader and revealer of this evil character and motives was judged harshly, sold out to boss and fought hard. I know when I finally left the place little nigga held a party because the barrier was gone.
The problem with narcissists is that they live a lie. They think making other people suffer will forever make them happy. It’s never that way. Every day comes with its own dose for a narc. They think power will fill that hole but no, not even money can bring happiness or peace. To make matters worse they never like to admit that they are sick so no way will they easily get out of that cocoon.
So, what do we do? How do we survive?
We work, interact or collaborate with so many wounded souls. The best thing to do is not let those selfish creatures make your life unbearable. Do not let them dictate your happiness. Call them out, stand for yourself. If your safety is at stake and no one listens, prepare your exit. Remember, there is no productivity or growth in a toxic environment.