[image: neenews.com]

I once worked for a person who had two different personalities. His public personality was nearly flawless. He smiled, dressed impeccably, spoke with a bit of humility, and generally won your approval with his modest and sincere delivery. He was a helluva good salesman. In fact, he built his fortune on his ability to “paint the picture of success” and how to “close the deal.” He surrounded himself with the objects of his success: a large, lavish office, a well-stocked bar that was completely hidden from view except for two rows of very expensive liquor, soft leather couches and seats, artwork and lush carpeting, deep purple velvet drapes; all staged where he put his skills on display—the master salesman at work doing what he did best—relieving his victims of their money.

He would begin his presentation by waiting until his prospective client was seated and had absorbed the ambience of his surroundings. Although many items were cheap imitations, he assured one and all that everything was imported from Europe where he had often travelled. Then he would press the button on his intercom and instruct his secretary to “hold all calls for one hour.” He would agree with his prospect on almost any opinion they expressed—especially political--with a simple, “yes, I understand, of course," affirmations that meant nothing at all to him. On hour later he would hand his new client a soft leather folder, with his embellished bio, a copy of their signed agreement, and he would congratulate him or her with assurances that their money was safe, secure, and insured as he put their check into his suit’s inside pocket. He left the building right after they had left, on this way to deposit their check into his insured checking account, not theirs.

He also had separate limited liability corporations for his various enterprises with each run on a cash basis so that nothing he owned was a corporate asset. Not only was he protected from personal liability from any legal action against him, anyone who might “pierce the corporate veil” would find nothing on the other side that they might claim as a result of any successful lawsuit against him. He claimed only a modest salary for tax purposes, while he siphoned large amounts of cash for his multi-million-dollar home, his yacht, his luxury car rentals, and membership in one of the most exclusive country clubs in the state. The balance of his cash went into tax-exempt municipal bonds. Financially, he was two decimal points removed from Donald Trump’s net worth; but in terms of deceptive social skills, he made Trump look like “chump change.”

His trickery with his hiring practices was simple and effective: He offered only a small income today, but with the prospect of becoming very wealthy if the new employee did exactly as he said, a few short years down the road. The turnover rate was high. Most lasted about six months until they learned he was a double-dealing liar with his clients. Why would he treat them any differently? In fact, he would compel them to become moles, and report any minor bit of discord among the others to him. He would fire the “troublemaker” and reward the mole with a cheap trinket picked up on sale from a second-class store.

I am not a psychologist, but I am a good observer if life. I might add that I have the knife wounds in my back to support my observational skills. The narcissist is a clever, deceitful son-of-a-bitch. First, he wants your loyalty (sound familiar?), then he wants your complete trust because he is never wrong, and he solidifies it with a “confidentiality agreement” that prevents you from talking to anyone about anything that goes on in his business. Most states also protect him with a legal concept known as “employment at will,” meaning that you can be fired at any time for any reason, or no reason at all. You might want to do a Google search to find out if you live in one of those states, and for a more detailed description of the narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Your best defense against employment at will is to insist on an “employment contract” that spells out your rights while an employee. I bargained for one and got it from the narcissistic bastard that I worked for. I held my ground for 10 years until my sensibilities caved in and I had to leave in order to recapture my self-respect and cleanse my higher-order contract with life.