Exec relied on hope, determination after early setbacks

You can recognize narcissistic leaders by traits such as grandiosity, entitlement and manipulation, which may have initially helped them ascend to leadership roles, write Melissa Wheeler and Saima Ahmad, who observe that these same traits often lead to their downfall as they create a hostile work environment and prioritize self-interest over team well-being. Protect yourself by setting boundaries, keeping written notes of interactions, practicing emotional detachment and finding trusted colleagues to share your concerns, they advise.

Put it into practice: If setting boundaries, keeping your distance and managing interactions don't work with a narcissistic boss, it may be time to look for another job, Wheeler and Ahmad write. "It is important to remember that dealing with a narcissistic leader can be emotionally draining and may have long-lasting effects on individuals' well-being."

Angela Thomas earned three degrees by the time she was 30, despite a rocky start and a teenage pregnancy, by relying on two key attributes of hope and determination, she says in this interview with John Baldoni. "You start to look for ways to make your dreams and realities your dreams come true to make them realities," says Thomas, who is now an executive with MedHealth.

Put it into practice: Thomas shares with Baldoni her inspiring journey from her book, "Bullets, Babies, and Boardrooms: Success Secrets from a Teenage Mother," and emphasizes that no one can succeed alone. "You must have people around you who are champions for you and for what you're trying to achieve," Thomas says.

Emails with clear subject lines that get to the point will ensure higher rates of response, writes Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast. According to a study, emails between 50 and 125 words received the best response rates, while people were more likely to open emails if they were familiar with the sender.

Put it into practice: If your email requires an action, Davis recommends putting that front and center in the subject line for best results. "Sometimes people don't respond to your email because it's not clear if you need a response," Davis writes.

Asking powerful questions, actively listening and praising your team members for a job well done are essential skills that can enhance management effectiveness, write Dominic Ashley-Timms and Laura Ashley-Timms, the CEO and COO of performance consultancy company Notion. "Employees want to trust that their manager cares about their growth and development. They also want to be trusted by their managers to find solutions to problems themselves and do a good job," they write.

Describing himself as a "cave-dwelling introvert" who would prefer working from home, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison says his position requires in-office work, but he still supports employees who prefer to be remote. "It's probably a significant efficiency gain to have more options for the kind of cave dwellers and the people who just want to sit in their room and do the work by themselves, again, like me," Collison observes.

Geologists have uncovered evidence supporting the Snowball Earth hypothesis in Colorado's Pikes Peak, revealing that massive ice sheets covered the planet around 700 million years ago, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study identified unusual pebbly sandstone formations within the granite of Pikes Peak as remnants of this global freeze through advanced laser-based radiometric dating.

President-elect Donald Trump should stick with the Paris climate agreement because policy reversals create business uncertainty and hinder climate progress, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods argued in an interview. Exxon has been lobbying Trump advisers and Republicans to maintain certain tax credits for low-carbon technologies as it plans $20 billion in investments in this space through 2027.

I have worked for several narcissistic leaders over my career. Their confidence and charisma took them into high leadership positions, but working for them was a chore. I've worked for a micromanager who checked offices each morning to make sure you were there and working. I've worked for a couple of control freaks who needed to know your every move. I've worked for a sadist who took pleasure in making the staff miserable.

All these jobs have one thing in common: I left. Not only did I go for a better job, many of my colleagues did as well. This is the natural consequence of a narcissistic leader -- they drive away talented people who can go elsewhere.

It may be tempting to put charismatic and manipulative people into leadership roles because they will get things done. But at what cost to your overall organization? You may meet your KPIs, but you may also be spending a ton of money hiring and onboarding new staff because your top talent has fled the building.

Those who can walk away from a narcissistic boss will, for their own well-being and career growth. Those who stay will be demoralized and drag your company down even more.

As Wheeler and Ahmad note: "This results in reduced performance, lower productivity, and stifled collaboration and creativity in the teams they lead. All this boils down to a significant waste of human potential."

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