2. Chapter 1. The Leader’s Light or Shadow
This chapter introduces the dark (bad, toxic) side of
leadership as the first step in promoting good or
ethical leadership.
Light and shadow represent the power of leaders to
either illuminate the lives of their followers or cast them
in darkness
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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3. Casting Shadows
• Immoral leaders cast dark shadows when they
– (1) abuse power,
– (2) hoard privileges,
– (3) mismanage information,
– (4) act inconsistently,
– (5) misplace or betray loyalties, and
– (6) fail to assume responsibilities.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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4. Should we pay more attention to the shadow side
of leadership?
• If the dark side of leadership is not faced directly, it can
lead to abuse
• Toxic leaders describes those who engage in destructive
behaviors and who exhibit dysfunctional personal
characteristics
• See Table 1.1 for a comprehensive list of behaviors and
personal characteristics of toxic leaders
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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5. 7 Types of Bad Leaders
Incompetent
Rigid
Intemperate
Callous
Corrupt
Insular
Evil
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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6. Incompetent
• These leaders:
– Lack motivation or ability to sustain effective action
– May lack educational or emotional intelligence
– May not function well under stress
– Example: Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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7. Rigid
These leaders:
May be competent but unyielding
Unable to accept new ideas
Inflexible
Do not accept new information or changing
conditions
Example: former president of South Africa Thabo
Mbeki
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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8. Intemperate
These leaders:
Lack self-control
Example of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
Admitted to using illegal drugs, being drunk, and
photographed using crack cocaine
There was a call for his resignation, but he instead
stood for his reelection and only withdrew based
on cancer
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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9. Callous
• These leaders are:
– Uncaring or unkind
– Ignore or downplay the needs, wants, or wishes of
their followers
– May yell, berate, or belittle followers
– Example: Former hotel magnate Leona Helmsley
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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10. Corrupt
• These leaders will:
– Lie, cheat, or steal
– Put self-interest ahead of public interest
– Example: The top officers of FIFA
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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11. Insular
These leaders:
Draw a clear boundary between the welfare of his or
her immediate group or organization and outsiders
Example of former president Bill Clinton
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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12. Evil
• These leaders:
– Commit atrocities, using their power to inflict severe
physical or psychological harm
– Example: Head of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
12
13. 7 clusters of destructive leader behaviors
• Cluster 1: leader makes
poor decisions; lies and
engages in unethical
behavior
• Cluster 2: leader lacks
critical skills; cannot
motivate subordinates
• Cluster 3: leader makes
good decisions but is
overcontrolling;
micromanages
• Cluster 4: leader
cannot deal with
conflict; plays favorites
• Cluster 5: leader is not
good or bad
• Cluster 6: leader
isolates the group from
the rest of the
organization
• Cluster 7: leader is
brutal, bullies and lies
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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14. Types of destructive leaders
• Tyrannical leaders: reach organizational
goals while abusing followers
• Supportive-disloyal leaders: they care for
welfare of subordinates at the expense of
organizational goals
• Derailed leaders: act against the interests of
both subordinates and the organization
• Laissez-faire leaders: engage in passive and
indirect negative behavior
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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15. The Ethical Challenges of Followership
• The Challenge of Obligation
• The Challenge of Obedience
• The Challenge of Cynicism
• The Challenge of Dissent
• The Challenge of Bad News
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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16. The Shadow of Power
• Power is the foundation for influence
attempts.
• The more power we have, the more likely
others are to comply with our wishes.
• Power comes from a variety of sources.
• There are advantages and disadvantages of
using each power type.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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17. Categories of Power
• Hard power
– Uses bonuses, raises, or threats to get people to
go along
• Soft power
– Based on attracting others rather than forcing
them to comply; leaders who use soft power set a
good example
• Smart power
– Effective leaders will combine hard and soft
power into smart power
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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18. Five power bases
Coercive power: based on penalties or
punishments
Reward power: based on being able to give
something valuable to others
Legitimate power: resides in the position, not the
person, ex. police officers or drill sergeants
Expert power: knowledge, skills, and education
build expert power
Referent (role model) power: power rests on the
admiration one person has for another
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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19. Leadership Ethics at the Movies: Selma
Discussion Starters based on synopsis:
1. What types of power do the major figures in the film
use?
2. How does the abuse of power by King’s opponents
contribute to his success?
3. How does King appeal to white audiences?
4. What character weaknesses do you note in
President Johnson? Do you find anything in his
character to admire?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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20. “Brutal” bosses
“Brutal” bosses regularly engage in the
following behaviors:
Deceit
Constraint
Coercion
Selfishness
Inequity
Cruelty
Disregard
Deification
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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21. Power
• The greater a leader’s power, the greater the
potential for abuse.
• Power makes it easier for impulsive, selfish
people to pursue their goals without
considering the needs of others.
• Those in power protect their positions by
attacking those they perceive as threats.
• Powerful leaders are prone to biased
judgments.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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22. Wise Use of Power
• Leaders consider what types of power they
should use and when, and for what purposes.
• Need to determine how much power to keep
and how much to give away.
• Leaders must recognize and resist the
dangers posed by possessing too much power
while making sure that followers aren’t
corrupted by having too little
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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23. The Shadow of Privilege
• The greater the leader’s power, generally the
greater the rewards he or she receives.
• Over the past 30 years, the average pay for chief
executives of large U.S. firms skyrocketed to $15.2
million (including salary, bonuses, stock, and
stock option grants).
– The typical U.S. worker now makes less, when
adjusted for inflation, than he or she did in the 1970s.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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24. The Shadow of Mismanaged Information
Leaders cast shadows not only when they lie but
also when they mismanage information and
engage in deceptive practices.
• Knowledge is a mixed blessing.
• Give in to the temptation to lie?
• Privacy issues raise additional ethical
concerns.
• Employers are gathering more information
about employee behavior on and off the job.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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25. Unethical Leaders
Unethical Leaders:
Deny having knowledge that is in their
possession,
Withhold information that followers need,
Use information solely for personal benefit,
Violate the privacy rights of followers,
Release information to the wrong people, and
Put followers in ethical binds by preventing them
from releasing information that others have a
legitimate right to know.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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26. The Shadow of Mismanaged Information
• Leaders must also consider ethical issues
related to the image they hope to project to
followers.
– Impression management is integral to
effective leadership because followers have
images of ideal leaders called prototypes.
– Impression management can be used to reach
immoral ends.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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27. The Shadow of Inconsistency
The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory is based
on the notion that a leader develops a closer
relationship with one group of followers than with
others.
“In-Group”-High levels of trust, mutual influence, and
support characterize their exchanges with the leader.
“Out-Group”-Expected to carry out the basic
requirements of their job.
LMX theorists have begun to explore ways in which leaders
can develop close relationships with all of their followers.
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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28. The Shadow of Misplaced and Broken Loyalties
Leaders must weigh a host of loyalties or
duties when making choices.
Obligations to their families
Their local communities
Their professions
The larger society
The environment
* Example: Timberland
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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29. The Shadow of Misplaced and Broken Loyalties
• Loyalties can be broken as well as
misplaced.
– Many of history’s villains are traitors: Judas
Iscariot, Benedict Arnold, etc.
– Leaders who violated the trust of followers: Enron
CEO Kenneth Lay, the leaders of Lehman
Brothers
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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30. The Shadow of Misplaced and Broken Loyalties
• Employees are often victimized by
corporate betrayal motivated by the
bottom line.
– Slashing salaries and benefits
– Laying off even the most loyal workers
– Shutting down domestic plants and research facilities
– Opening new operations overseas
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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31. The Shadow of Irresponsibility
Followers:
responsible for their own actions, or in the case of a self-
directed work team, for those of their peers
Leaders:
they are held accountable for the performance of their
entire department or unit
How do we determine the extent of a leader’s
responsibility?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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32. Shadows and Leadership
Now that we have looked at the common shadows cast by
leaders faced with ethical challenges of leadership, it
raises two questions:
Why is it that, when faced with the same ethical
challenges, some leaders cast light and others cast
shadows?
What steps can we take as leaders to cast more light
than shadows?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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33. CASE STUDY 1.1: The Tragedies of Team
Foxcatcher
Discussion Probes:
1. Who is most to blame for failing to stop John du
Pont’s downward spiral?
2. Do you blame the members of Team Foxcatcher for
staying on even as du Pont’s behavior become more
erratic?
3. What are the costs of speaking up to powerful
leaders? How do we equip ourselves to do so?
4. Can you think of other leaders whose power and/or
wealth put them at great risk?
5. How can colleges and nonprofits ensure that donors
don’t exert too much influence over their activities?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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34. CASE STUDY 1.2: Killers with Cameras
Discussion Probes:
1. Would you watch the video of this or another shooting? Why or
why not?
2. Does showing videos filmed by killers encourage others to imitate
their behavior?
3. Was using the video of cameraman Ward a better option for
media outlets than using the shooter’s video?
4. Do you think the New York Daily News was more motivated by
principle or by the hope of attracting more readers?
5. Do you support the decision of New York Daily News editors to
show the still shots of the shooting on its front page? Why or why
not?
6. What ethical principles should editors and other leaders use when
deciding what information to release?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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35. CASE STUDY 1.3: Public Moralist/Private
Sexual Predator
Discussion Probes:
1. What role did power play in Cosby’s sexual misbehavior?
2. How do you account for the great inconsistency between
Cosby’s public moralizing and his alleged predatory sexual
behavior?
3. Can you think of other cases where the public image and
private behavior of leaders are in “stark contrast?”
4. Evaluate the ethics of Cosby’s legal strategy. Is it ethical
to “attack the accuser?”
5. Do you refuse to support some entertainers and
professional athletes because of their unethical or criminal
personal behavior? How do you make this determination?
Johnson, Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership, 6e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.
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