On the Dark Side of Leadership

Bad leadership is hard to grab. The criteria of good or bad leadership are to a certain extent subjective. And when does bad leadership turn dark?

When we try to spot dark leadership, we should not look at single events and rather observe a context of occurrences and time. We enter the dark zone when we observe recurring and systematic unethical behavior, when managers seek the individual advantage at the cost of others.

In my experience, the symptoms of dark leadership are not easy to spot, as they come very silent, literally as wolf in sheep’s clothing (which is a book I can recommend). The loud boss with his or her choleric reaction, the “I am the boss, you do what I say” type fall “only” in the bad boss category. To work with this type is not pleasant, for sure annoying, but in most cases not dangerous.

When subclinical psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism meet, that’s when the light in a room turns darker and the temperature drops. This is the Dark Triade in which bad leadership turns into toxic leadership.

Subclinical psychopaths lack any emotion in regards of other persons’ destiny. They are intelligent and have high knowledge of how to influence (rather manipulate) others. The narcissist however depends on others to shine and be admired. The Machiavellian builds up his or her power without moral.

If you want to find out your “D-score” – your personal dark factor – try this test which will also give you ideas of what to look out for in others.

The dilemma: dark leaders have traits which are useful for corporations. They are high achievers, willing to make and execute uncomfortable decisions regardless of the collateral impact. From a distance, they are perceived as charming, they are good networkers, they can inspire. But don’t confound charm with good character, network with relationships and inspiration with manipulation! The closer you work with a dark leader, the clearer the view on the underlying personality disorder.

At this point I have to disappoint you. I will not offer you a solution or a manual on how to deal with a dark leader. If you see two of the three dark factors confirmed, you are in a danger zone. In my opinion, you can’t hide, you can only run. Love it or change it are hardly any options here.

When the work with your suspect leaves you a bit weaker every day and when doubts in your own capabilities are nagging inside you, you need to re-act. Acting does not mean fighting – you slightly stand a chance as your counterpart is a well trained and enduring fighter. Self-doubt can be like a tumor, it grows and eats up the trust in yourself. It is worth reading into the phenomenon of gaslighting, which is one of the weapons of dark leaders.

If you have no chance to leave and are for some reasons stuck in the current setup, start objectifying your experience. Take notes of every subtle comment and the context, document lies and allegations you are confronted with. You may never use this, but it will help you remember examples, identify patterns and explain the situation to others. Explaining yourself will be difficult in cases in which you hear “but she is such a nice person” or “I like working with him”. Sustain your mental health with good relationships in- and outside the company, ask for constructive and supporting feedback by people which care about you. Look for projects in which you see purpose and find acknowledgement for your good work beyond the evaluation of your superior.

If your position allows more (positive) influence in your organization, you should reflect on the ways you set targets and measure or reward performance. Differentiate between short-term success at high cost and sustainable growth of business and people. Create an environment of Psychological Safety to reach the Learning Zone.