In our entire career journey, we work with and for different personality types. While certain people are easy to work with, there are other personality traits such as aloofness, narcissism, and tardiness that make it working with someone extremely difficult. It is easier to cope with colleagues who are not so friendly or are no-so-amazing at taking orders, but when it comes to dealing with narcissists at work, it can be the worst nightmare for most of the employees.
We all possess some “less than ideal” characteristics that make working with us fairly challenging. However, there are certain character qualities that are far from ideal, making the collaboration extremely difficult. There are different types of narcissists, and according to their personality traits, there are different ways to cope with them.
Here are some tips on how to deal with narcissists at work:
The Pompous Narcissist
Such kind of narcissism is easy to spot and is prevalent among workplaces around the globe. This person sees himself or herself as the center of the universe. He/she would try hard to show that he/she is more influential and charismatic as compared to everyone else at the workplace. They have a tendency to exaggerate their accomplishments and contribution to the organization in order to appear superior to others. At times, you would find yourself into an admiring orbit around them.
His attempts to show himself as superior might make you want to go against him and stand up for yourself. But don’t do that. It’s not that you are not good enough, but your attempts to compete with him will only make him put more efforts in appearing better than you. In case you feel the need to follow or serve him for all the confidence and charisma he has, make sure you don’t give too much. Such people are less likely to be grateful for anything and they won’t think about your growth unless they are benefitted by it in some manner.
Passive-Aggressive Narcissist
Traits of such narcissists at work may include hostile joking, sarcastic comments, gossip, backstabbing, victimhood, denying responsibility, professional or social exclusion, two-faced, and stonewalling. Such behavior is often intended to gain sympathy or to portray others as bad. They think they can just get away with anything by adopting such behavior.
The only way to cope up with such type of narcissists is by keeping yourself away from them. If that is not something you can do, you need to make sure that you don’t acknowledge any of their behavior and act as if you know nothing about the matter that they are trying to bring up. Do not fall into their trap by accompanying them in gossip or any other such behavior. They would get away with it but you might not.
The Revengeful Narcissist
It is easier to put up with passive-aggressive behavior, a bullying boss, and a pretentious snob, but it is hard to deal with someone who is too revengeful and would try to ruin your career/life just because you challenged her unknowingly. She would do anything to prove that you are a loser even if she needs to talk trash about you or sabotage your work in order to do that.
How to deal with such vengeful people at work? You need to stay far away from their sight and avoid working with them if possible. If this person is your boss or your team member and you cannot ignore her, it’s time you weigh your words and actions before speaking or doing anything that has something to do with her. If you think this is not going to change anything, you need to find another job. They can not only harm your career in that organization, they can also pose a threat to your chances of future employment. So before it’s too late, you better get out of that place.