House of Mirrors

Leadership. The word conjures up images of dynamic action, inspiring vision and a highly motivated workforce. The great leaders of commerce are the idols of our time. But what of the Demon Leader, the destructive force, the bully in the boardroom? We've heard a lot about positive leadership but what about the dark side -- the narcissistic leader? Despite the widespread experience of employees who have tolerated egotistical bosses, there are few resources to help people survive and succeed in spite of a narcissistic leader. House of Mirrors is a brilliant -- and sometimes disturbing -- analysis of the psyche of these leaders and the devastating -- and often hidden -- effect they can have on both individual and organizational performance. Based on in-depth research and more than 500 first hand-interviews, the authors give us: -- Profiles of some of the world's best known corporate figures and their destructive behavior: Michael Eisner, Al Dunlap, Robert Allen, Gilbert Amelio and others -- Examples of the few narcissistic leaders who've had a positive effect -- Action steps and recommendations for what you can do about the narcissistic leaders negative, undermining behavior -- Eye-opening stories about the unbelievable conduct of egotistical, self serving bosses