RISE OF TOXIC LEADERSHIP

Leaders don’t make followers, they make many more leaders — this was the famous refrain of Tom Peters, the author of many a bestselling books on management. But see what is happening. Leaders are talking just the opposite. In fact, a parallel can be drawn with the story of Demon King Hiranyakashyap, the father of Prahalad. He considered himself to be greater than the Lord himself. He wanted people to chant his name instead of Vishnu’s. It was this that led to his nemesis as he was slain by Narsimha, an incarnation of Vishnu. The moral of the story need not be debated as it is quite obvious.

What needs to be understood is that this new phenomenon of toxic leadership is becoming a matter of concern for management researchers. Also called the dark side of leadership, the idea has drawn considerable attention. Toxic leadership is a combination of self-centred attitudes tempered by self-aggrandisement and narcissism. Such leaders act whimsically under the mistaken belief that they can do no wrong. Stating that toxic leadership would lead to serious problems for the organisation, the employees and the other stakeholders are labouring the obvious as enough historical evidences are there. The stories of Hiranyakashyap to Ravana to Kansa from the Hindu scriptures and that of Nero and Nebuchadnezzar in the ancient Roman and Greek literature provide enough evidence. But that is besides the point. The issue is why this resurgence in toxic leadership?

Researchers are not able to find the clues and their studies only grapple with the attributes of such leaders. Offering definitions, and there are many of them, is hardly of any help unless the malady is addressed. The question that needs to be answered is what intoxicates people? Power may be one of the reasons as it inebriates to the point of self-destruction. But why does this not happen to all leaders?

Humility, considered a key managerial value these days, may be a reason. It provides strength of the leader’s character. Rightly had Abraham Lincoln said that if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Power will inebriate only those who get swayed by it. Those who can take power in their stride may, in fact, become more humble. This is one of the qualities of saints. They can assimilate power.

What are the other reasons for this maddening effect of power? The organisation itself, which contains toxins like absence of transparency and objectivity. The organisations that distribute largesse to those kowtowing to seats of power often get toxic leaders. It is thus the organisational culture and systems that are greater determinants of toxic leadership. Quality and character of followers are certainly important because the more gullible and self-centered the followers, the more whimsical and toxic will be the leadership. Toxic leaders exhibit deviant workplace behaviour that violates established norms and have adverse effects on both the organisation and the members. It is for such organisation that the phrase, ‘you tell me the person, I will tell you the rule, applies’.

A central personality trait of toxic leaders is destructive narcissism. They are not interested in mentoring and developing second-line leaders and always reward yes men at the cost of right men. Toxic leadership is a new trend that is discernible these days and one reason is the decline of values at the cost of self-interest.