Have you ever encountered someone who takes the credit for someone else’s work? Or how about one who hurts someone and feels good about it? These are examples of a narcissist. A narcissist truly believes that he or she is more talented than other people and has the right to be on top of the ladder. In the work place, this can be lethal because other employees can feel frustrated and helpless in their presence.

How to recognize a narcissist:
• People who are vain, arrogant and overconfident.
• Require excessive admiration and have a sense of entitlement.
• Verbally abuse and/or exploit another employee’s effort, work or appearance.
• Taking credit for another’s work.
• Excessive use of the word “I” in a project which actually required group effort.
• Depicting little or no regret/empathy after a situation which causes another employee to suffer.

Seven tips to help deal with a narcissist:
• Determine if others have had similar experiences with them to confirm your diagnosis.
• If forced to work on a project together, document your work and inform those who need to know.
• Confront the narcissistic individual about their behavior as soon as possible after you’ve witnessed an event.
• Record, with date and time, any narcissistic experience, tantrum or fit. This can assist in termination process, if need be. Save any documents that shows the harmful behavior.
• If the person claims credit for a task, ask who else helped.
• Explain that group cohesiveness is required for success and that their behavior is unacceptable. This feedback will make the narcissist cautious since they are aware that you are on to them.
• If the narcissist persists and has a needed skill, isolate them so that they are productive on their own while not hurting others.