The Dark Side of Leadership

Abstract

Personality traits favored by situational factors may lead to destructive tendencies in a good leader. For example, CEOs such as Larry Page of Google, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Elon Musk of Tesla have exhibited a shift from constructive to destructive leadership style due to situational or environmental factors. Destructive or dark leadership style is associated with personality traits such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. This chapter introduces the concept of personality disorders that might threaten the effectiveness of an individual as a leader. It will further discuss the factors that contribute to the development of destructive personalities and different types of destructive personalities. This chapter will identify the role of followers and environment that provide legitimacy for immoral actions. It will provide solutions to improve leadership practices to reduce toxicity in the work environment and create a positive workplace.