When It’s All About Them: Spotting the Self-Serving Egomaniac at Work

I’ve come to understand that toxic leadership doesn’t have just one face. In my ongoing research and work with thousands of professionals across Canada, I’ve identified and categorized eight distinct toxic boss types, each with their own patterns of dysfunction. While every toxic leader operates differently, and no boss will perfectly fit under one type, the damage they incur in the workplace and among employees is strikingly similar: burnout, self-doubt and erosionofself-confidence, and a deep disillusionment with their work (Forbes, 2024)¹.

The impacts on both wellbeing and productivity are extensive, and it’s estimated that toxic bosses cost companies billions in stress-related health expenses, productivity losses, and costs associated with high employee turnover rates (Forbes, 2024)².

Today, I want to focus on one of the most insidious toxic boss personas, the Self-Serving Egomaniac.

This toxic boss isn’t just difficult; they’re extremely draining to work with. They operate under their core principle of “it’s all about me.” Their leadership is driven not by purpose or service, but by image, ego, and the pursuit of power. The Self-Serving Egomaniac is obsessed with how they are perceived, constantly curating their image to appear brilliant, accomplished, and indispensable to upper leadership and shareholders.

But behind the scenes, they often do very little of the actual work, as most of their energy is spent politicking and managing impressions. Instead, they rely almost entirely on their team, delegating not just tasks, but entire responsibilities, and then proceed to take full credit for the output and result. It’s not uncommon for their employees to be forced to pour hours into a project, only for the Self-Serving Egomaniac to present it as their own, without any credit attributed to the employee or team behind them.

What makes this type of toxic boss particularly difficult is how well they manage up. To executives and board members, they are competent, polished, and visionary. But to their team, they are dismissive, competitive, and disinterested in anyone else's growth. They don’t mentor or uplift, because helping others shine is perceived as a threat. They may appear busy and in demand, but often they are busy with looking important rather than being effective.

Their decisions are less about team success and more about optics: “How will this make me look to the higher-ups?” They will choose flashy, performative initiatives over meaningful, behind-the-scenes improvements that benefit the team. Whether it’s choosing who gets promoted or which projects get priority, it’s all about preserving and enhancing their own reputation. They may appear composed and charming in public, but behind closed doors, they often lack empathy, curiosity, or any genuine concern for their team’s growth or well-being.

This kind of boss abuses their authority, often disguising it as “strategic delegation.” In truth, they offload responsibility while clinging tightly to visibility. To the Self-Serving Egomaniac boss, your value as an employee is directly proportional to how well you prop up their image and make them look good in the eyes of those that they want to impress.

Their need for control and admiration means they may not handle feedback or disagreement well. Challenging them, even respectfully, can lead to punishment, exclusion, or being labeled as “difficult.”  Working for a Self-Serving Egomaniac can leave you questioning your own contributions and losing motivation. Your success may be routinely minimized, while their narrative dominates every room. Over time, this erodes trust and psychological safety across the team, and employees are afraid to speak out, even leading to anger and depression (Forbes, 2021)³.

If this sounds familiar, know that you’re not imagining it. And that you’re not alone. Many high-performing professionals have found themselves working under this type of leader and left feeling silenced, stuck, and questioning their own worth.

In future posts, I’ll continue to explore the other toxic boss personas and how we can navigate them while advocating for healthier, more human workplaces. Until then, tune into my podcast Where Work Meets Life™ for more on toxic leadership, and inspiring stories of what great leadership looks like.

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References:

1. Walker, J. (2024). Overcoming Toxic Leadership: Escape The Office Nightmare. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwalker/2024/08/01/overcoming-toxic-leadership-escape-the-office-nightmare/

2. Robinson, B. (2024) 5 Signs You’ve Reached Toxic Boss Status And How To Make Changes. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/02/10/5-signs-youve-reached-toxic-boss-status-and-how-to-save-your-career/

3. Kurter, H. (2021). Managers, Here Are 6 Toxic Behaviours That Are Destroying Your Employee’s Confidence. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2021/07/23/managers-here-are-6-toxic-behaviors-that-are-destroying-your-employees-confidence.

Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.

Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.

Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures.  Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.

Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.

In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.

For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:

• Canada Career Counselling

• Synthesis Psychology