Lexi,
I understand your point. However, is it not terribly conceited (narcisstic is a term that has been used here) for someone to 'blow smoke' when they clearly don't have the expertise in a specific area under discussion?

Put another way, I don't think it's about sounding better than others. Clearly, while some people are more articulate and confident in their "debating skills", on OLO they are merely proffering an opinion. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but some people's opinions are more qualified than others - whether they "sound" better or not. I would say it is more conceited for those that are not qualified to put-down the opinions of others that are qualified.

Perhaps Col Rouge does think this thread is about him, as you suggest. But whether it is or not doesn't really matter, he certainly appears to have taken up the challenge (so to speak) with the confidence that you so speak of.

For example, I believe Col when he says he is an accomplished and successful accountant. So, when he proffers an opinion on accountancy matters - you better believe I will take notice. However, I take less notice when he proffers an opinion on the radiative properties of carbon dioxide and its role in global warming.

Pelican
I agree - there appears to be just as many anti-Righties as anti-Lefties on OLO. Thing is, Col always seems to want to turn the discussion/topic into Right versus Left, or detracts (and distracts) from the discussion by talking about how many houses he has, how successful he is, or trumpeting about going to a casino with his like-minded partner - as if that's got anything to do with the price of soy beans in Tasmania :)

Poirot
Methinks you nailed it.
"braggadocio" - ROFL

The recent posts have been very entertaining indeed.

All I have presented is research about a tiny minority of the human diaspora who are basically self-obsessed - narcissists.

And this topic has drawn interesting responses. From those who actually think this thread is all about them, to those who thought this thread was all about the aforementioned.

There is nothing wrong with healthy self-promotion - most of us do that. Where it crosses the line, is when a person's self-regard prevents them from having any empathy or care for others. Most of us have encountered this personality type at some point in our lives in the workplace, clubs, schools, where ever humans congregate. The narcissist can completely derail and entire organisation. For example:

"There is always the option of avoiding a narcissistic CEO, but these days that will prove difficult. Narcissism is virtually a requirement to become head of a company. That's because narcissists tend to like drama. They are attracted to big change and risk. Investors expect substantial returns and want their CEOs to take risks to deliver them. "It used to be that CEOs weren't asked to do extreme things," says Don Hambrick, who along with Arijit Chatterjee, both professors at Penn State University, developed a test to determine whether a CEO is narcissistic and to what degree. "They changed the rules so as to encourage more extremism, more flamboyance, go-for-broke types."

.... The key to dealing with these types: thick skin. "A narcissist won't show very much emotional intelligence," says Michael Maccoby, author of The Productive Narcissist: The Promise and Peril of Visionary Leadership. "While he is very sensitive about his ego, he's not sensitive about yours. You've got to be willing to accept that if the reward is great enough. People who hung on at Microsoft got very rich." That means you can't criticize him or her, but expect a lot of it from the CEO....

Cont'd

Cont'd

"... Make sure you have something solid to contribute. Check and double check your work. A mistake means you're likely to get berated. Maccoby says that when Bill Gates doesn't like an idea he's prone to say something like: "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard." When you do have a good idea, don't expect to get any credit.

You also have to accept that it's all about him or her. That means there will be phone calls no matter what time of day and on the weekends. "That doesn't mean you can't sometimes disagree, but you better be sure you know what you're talking about," says Maccoby. Still, narcissists tend to discard people when they don't need them anymore.

At the heart of narcissism is a lack of self-esteem. That's why narcissists require so much praise. If you're having a hard time dealing with one, use that to your advantage. "The most powerful way to influence them is to appeal to their irrational self-interest," says Terry Dockery, founder of the Business Psychology Co. in Marietta, Ga. Make it worth their while. Since this is driven by fear, tap into that. For instance, if you're suggesting an idea, you can phrase your pitch by explaining why the idea will make him or her look good.

Hambrick won't reveal who made the top of the narcissistic CEO study until it's published, but he did reveal that while their companies did see more extreme losses and gains, "on average their bottom lines were not higher or lower than non-narcissistic CEOs." That begs the question: Is it worth putting yourself through the hassle? Maybe it's time to find another job."

http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/28/business-basics-narcissist-ceos-cx_tw_0829narcissist.html

Do we really need narcissists? NO

Do we need to identify them? Abso-bloody-lutely.

Ammonite,

Just a point regarding Bill Gates. I believe it's been said that he probably has Aspergers, which would account for him just blurting out his thoughts, a la "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
Aspergers is a high-functioning autistic variant, and one of the challenges for people on the spectrum is an altered empathy. This doesn't mean that they have no empathy, but that it is often compromised leading to the sort of straight talking exemplified above - not always taking the other person's feelings into account when offering your own.

Poirot

Point well taken. I do recall hearing that he is indeed a high functioning Aspberger's sufferer. There is nothing straight forward - and your comment is a timely warning not to overgeneralise. Note to self "be more carefully selective."

However, I stand by my view of the true narcissist or sociopath if you prefer. They would simply be sad sacks if not for the harm they cause.

Ammonite,

Yes, a person with from NPD would not be fun to be around in any capacity. Strangely enough, insecure people tend to cleave to that type and the narcissistic person obtains his "supply" through their often misguided loyalty. But a narcissist will drop them like a hot potato if their supply is not met - and will seek it elsewhere.

One of OLO's contributing article writers wrote something on narcissism (Sam Vaknin) - might be worth a peak if you google it.