CEO narcissism: big signatures signal inflated egos and poor performance


Narcissists can make inspirational leaders but there is growing recognition they can damage business performance and culture. 6park.com
越来越多的学者在研究公司业绩与领导者性格特征之间的关系，一种方法是看签名。有研究人员认为，签名的大小代表着自恋的程度。



Using handwriting analysis as a recruitment tool — as some City  banks once did — is out of fashion. Yet judging company bosses by how they write their names is surprisingly common in academic circles. 6park.com
把笔迹分析作为一种招聘工具——伦敦金融城的一些银行曾经采用过这种方法——已经过时。然而，在学术界，从签名来判断一位公司老板为人的做法却出人意料地普遍。 6park.com
  
Scrutinising signatures is a ploy used by the swelling ranks of academics researching the link between corporate performance and leaders’ personality traits. The latest such study suggests chief executives with sprawling signoffs are particularly likely to announce big share repurchases, which they do not necessarily implement.   6park.com
越来越多的学者在研究公司业绩与领导者性格特征之间的关系，仔细审查签名是他们会采用的一种做法。最新的这类研究表明，签名超大的首席执行官尤其有可能宣布大规模股票回购，只是他们未必会执行。 6park.com
  
An earlier paper made a link between large autographs and poor performance, including overspending on acquisitions. Leaders with extravagant signatures were more lavishly paid than those with smaller scribbles. They are also likely to talk up their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Saving the world is an attractive platform for self-aggrandising CEOs, cynics might conclude. 6park.com
更早之前的一篇论文认为，超大签名与糟糕业绩（包括在收购上过度支出）之间存在关联。签名超大的领导比签名较小的领导薪水更高。他们也可能会吹嘘对企业社会责任的承诺。怀疑论者可能会得出这样的结论：拯救世界对自我膨胀的首席执行官们来说是一个有吸引力的宣言。 6park.com
  
Researchers argue that the size of signatures — available from annual reports — is a proxy for narcissism. That trait is characterised by attention-seeking, lack of empathy and an inflated self image. They established the link by comparing volunteers’ signatures to their scores on personality tests. 6park.com
研究人员认为，签名的大小——可以从年度报告中看到——代表着自恋的程度。这种性格的特点是寻求关注、缺乏同理心和自我形象膨胀。他们通过比较志愿者的签名与他们在性格测试中的得分来建立这种联系。 6park.com
  
Other clues to a chief executive’s personality are how often they say “I”, the size of their photograph in an annual report and where their quotes are placed in a press release.   6park.com
了解首席执行官个性的其他线索包括：他们说“我”的频率、他们在年报中的照片的尺寸，以及向媒体发布的新闻稿中引用他们的话的位置。 6park.com
  
Another approach is to ask fellow directors to assess a CEO. When Stanford University researchers took that tack last year, they concluded that one in six chief executives displayed moderate-to-high narcissism. That makes narcissism about three times more prevalent among CEOs than in the general population. 6park.com
另一种方法是请其他董事对首席执行官进行评估。斯坦福大学(Stanford University)的研究人员去年采用了这种方法，他们得出的结论是，六分之一的首席执行官表现出中度至高度的自恋。这使得自恋者在CEO中的比例是普通人群的三倍左右。 6park.com
  
This should occasion CEOs an uncharacteristic moment of introspection. They will bounce back with the news that the Stanford researchers found chief executives have a fairly healthy personality profile, on average. Even the narcissists were found to have some saving graces including — surprisingly — a greater likelihood of running  companies with good governance features. 6park.com
这应该促使首席执行官们进入一个不同寻常的反省时刻。斯坦福大学的研究人员发现首席执行官们——大体说来——拥有相当健康的性格特征，这一点应该会让他们重新振作一些。研究发现，即使是自恋者也有一些可取之处，包括——令人惊讶——更有可能管理着具有良好治理特征的公司。 6park.com
  
Narcissists can make inspirational leaders. Self-confidence and risk tolerance help take executives to the top. But there is growing recognition they can damage a business’s performance and culture. Bosses with toxic personalities should watch their step. 6park.com
自恋者可以成为鼓舞人心的领导者。自信和风险承受能力帮助管理者登上高位。但人们越来越认识到，他们可能损害公司的业绩和文化。具有不良性格特征的老板应该小心行事。 6park.com