If you had this dark personality trait as a child, you’re likely a leader now

There’s having healthy self-confidence growing up and then there’s really, truly believing you were meant to be a star. If you fall into the latter category, in some cases bordering a narcissistic personality, chances are pretty good that your leadership skills are probably interconnected to that strong sense of self-worth.

A new study published in the March issue of Psychological Science suggests that narcissistic children have a much higher chance of becoming leaders later in life—even if that leadership might not be as strong or effective as other, less narcissistic leaders.

Narcissism linked to strong leadership skills later in life

A new study published in the March issue of Psychological Science suggests that narcissistic children have a much higher chance of becoming leaders later in life—even if that leadership might not be as strong or effective as other, less narcissistic leaders.

Eddie Brummelman, Assistant Professor at the Research Institute of Child Development, examined the link between narcissism and leadership to see exactly where and when the overlap begins to occur—in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood—and whether or not the link could suggest that highly confident people actually make good leaders after all.

In doing so, Brummelman’s research included 107 children between the ages of seven to 14 years old, 54% girls and 46% boys with “relatively narcissistic” children emerging as true leaders throughout the various tasks and games that the research asked them to participate in—they also had a more favorable view of themselves when put into leadership roles during the studies.

According to Brummelman, one potential explanation for this phenomenon could involve self-deception—when people have less self-doubt or confidence issues, they find it easier to believe in themselves, and as such, have an easier time selling themselves or their vision to a group of peers.

In other words, they’re more persuasive in making others trust in their ability to lead.

“Our research shows that children with relatively high narcissism levels tend to impress their classmates as leaders, even though they may not excel when they actually have to lead a group,” Brummelman shared in a statement.

Self-perceived agency

That being said, another possibility that Brummelman and his team discovered involves the link between narcissism and agency—which often blurs the lines between antagonistic and agentic personality traits, which include being confident, decisive, and ambitious. 

Having self-perceived agency is directly related to achieving personal goals and outcomes, which not only helps narcissistic children step into leadership roles but also offers a favorable outside view to those they lead thanks to their perceived achievements and accomplishments.

“These findings may inspire interventions to cultivate effective leadership from a young age, perhaps especially among children who score higher on narcissism, given that these children often emerge as leaders,” Brummelman added.