Introduction: The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are essential for addressing global challenges, including disaster preparedness. Narcissistic leadership, marked by self-centered decision-making and a focus on short-term gains, poses significant risks to achieving these goals. This study examines how narcissistic leadership impacts global disaster preparedness and the broader SDGs. Methods: A systematic scoping review, complemented by action research, was conducted to explore the relationship between narcissistic leadership and disaster preparedness within the context of the SDGs. Searches were conducted across databases like PubMed and Scopus, focusing on peer-reviewed articles that discuss the effects of narcissistic leadership on environmental sustainability, infrastructure, social health factors, and global partnerships. Results: The review included 47 studies that highlight the detrimental effects of narcissistic leadership on disaster preparedness and SDG achievement. Narcissistic leaders were found to prioritize their personal agendas over long-term disaster resilience, leading to inadequate preparedness measures, environmental harm, and weakened international cooperation. This leadership style also exacerbates social inequalities and disrupts the implementation of effective global health strategies. Conclusion: Narcissistic leadership is a significant barrier to global disaster preparedness and the successful attainment of the SDGs. Addressing this issue requires urgent global policy reforms, the promotion of collaborative and empathetic leadership, and enhanced international cooperation. Future efforts should focus on mitigating the rise of narcissistic leaders and strengthening leadership practices that support sustainable development and disaster resilience.
Goniewicz et al. (Sun,) studied this question.