The Impacts of Narcissistic Leadership on Achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—A Scoping Review

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN’s SDG) are a set of actionable frameworks, which can be achieved through collaboration among nations, emphasizing the significant role of leadership. Recent geopolitical trends have spotlighted leaders with pronounced sociopathic narcissistic characteristics, opposing any collaborative approach to achieving the UN’s SDGs. This study used a mix method (a scoping review and action research), to critically investigate the impact of leadership, narcissistic leadership in particular, on achieving the UN’s SDGs. The results showed that publications discussing the impacts of narcissism on achieving interconnected SDGs are scarce. The systemic negative factors enabling narcissistic leaders to rise above and keep power, and potential strategies to inhibit such leadership styles were critically discussed. The loss of the Sustainable Development Goals remains the best indicator of the global negative impact of narcissistic leadership and its influence on global health systems. It is not country-specific and is the only legitimate global measure available. Preventing the rise of such leadership, particularly in low- and middle-income countries may avert wars, conflicts, and their deadly outcomes from national and global perspectives. Novel global policies are urgently needed to safeguard global peace, health, and security.