D.E.A.D. Precedents: An Integrated Model Of Destructive Leadership

A Toast For The Assholes

From the sand mines of Cameroon to the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion of the world, the miraculous journey of Francis Ngannou is a Cinderella story of cinematic proportions. 

But sadly, this post isn't about him. 

It's instead about the type of person who could further exploit, marginalize, and even retraumatize the mythical fighter. Someone who could conjure bullshit interim title fights to build pressure. Someone who could publicly disparage him to damage his credibility. Someone who could draw up ironclad contracts to keep his career in limbo. Someone who could comfortably operate in a vacuum of ethics. We're talking about the baddest of bad bosses: the destructive leader.

An uncredited saying goes, "You will meet assholes in your life. But if everyone you meet is an asshole, you're the asshole." That UFC President Dana White vindictively berated free agent Francis Ngannou for wanting to be free, happy, and well-paid is revealing but unsurprising. After all, this is the same the cage king who downplayed slapping his wife, is vehemently opposed to fair fighter compensation (despite generating record-high profits), believes long-term fighter health benefits are "pretty fucking crazy," has a shit list pages deep, and is being sued by over a thousand fighters.

But let’s address the 500-million-dollar elephant in the octagon: Dana White is to the UFC (and, by extension, MMA) what Travis Kalanick was to Uber—a brazen paradigm-shifter capable of further revolutionizing the industry. Except he’s been at the helm of the company for 22 years, while the average tenure of a Fortune 500 CEO is estimated to be 5 to 6. Studies show that the longer you hold power and the higher your position, the more likely you are to demonstrate destructive leadership traits.

Alas, I hate that one of my favorite fight promotions is managed by the very methods I aim to dismantle through my work and research. 

The Rot At The Top

Moral qualms aside, destructive leadership is awful for business. It results in steep turnover costs, diminished productivity, rising healthcare costs, increased burnout, reduced innovation capacity, costly legal issues, and reputational damage. Yet, it's often downplayed because it's perceived as infrequent. 

Some of our best studies reveal a prevalence of anywhere between 9% and 90%, further obscuring the accurate picture. But we know from firsthand experience that destructive leadership is not an anomaly. At some point in our careers, we've all experienced a bad boss and vowed "never again." And thanks to movements like #MeToo, destructive leaders fear the light. But in response to growing public scrutiny, bad bosses are evolving, not disappearing.

To keep the light shining on destructive leaders, I propose the following integrated model:

The D.E.A.D. Framework synthesizes several attributes from these major destructive leadership concepts: Avoidant Leadership, The Dark Triad, The Toxic Triangle, and The Dark Core of Personality. I'll be doing deep dives into each of them in later posts, but for now, we'll focus on their overlaps (in order of increasing destructive behavior):

• Dominant: A leadership style characterized by asserting control over others, often excessively or aggressively. Dominant leaders may often prioritize their own views and interests above those of others, stifling dissent or opposing perspectives. Think Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Sauron (Lord of The Rings), etc.
• Exploitive: This trait refers to leaders who take unfair advantage of their subordinates or the organization for personal gain. They might use their position or resources at their disposal for selfish benefits, disregarding the welfare of others. Think Elizabeth Holmes, Gordon Gekko (Wall Street), Frank Underwood (House of Cards), etc.
• Asymmetrical: Leadership that is uneven or biased. Asymmetrical leaders may display favoritism, giving preferential treatment to certain individuals or groups while neglecting or being unfair to others. Think Richard Nixon, Littlefinger (Game of Thrones), Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter), etc.
• Detached: Leaders who are emotionally or cognitively distant from their teams. They may lack empathy, not engage with the personal or professional needs of their subordinates, or might seem aloof and uninvolved. Think Leona Helmsley, Michael Scott (The Office), Mr. Krabs (Spongebob Squarepants), etc.

By combining two of the D.E.A.D. traits, we get greater destruction:

• Power-Hungry Predator (Dominant + Exploitive): These leaders use their dominance to assert authority and exploit others for their gain exploitatively. Think Al Capone, Scar (The Lion King), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), etc.
• Neglectful Elitist (Asymmetrical + Detached): Leaders showing favoritism, preferring certain groups over others, all while remaining emotionally distant. Think Emperor Nero, Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter), The White Witch (Chronicles of Narnia), etc.
• Aloof Dictator (Dominant + Detached): They might impose their will without being emotionally or empathetically connected to the people they lead. Think Idi Amin, Thanos (The Avengers), President Snow (The Hunger Games), etc.
• Calculated Manipulator (Exploitive + Asymmetrical): Leaders exploit imbalances, giving certain people or groups favorable treatment while oppressing others. Think Rasputin, Iago (Othello), Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), etc.

By combining three of the D.E.A.D. traits, we get even more destruction:

• Heartless Overlord: (Dominant + Exploitive + Detached) = Dominant and exploitative, but with an emotional detachment, making them even more dangerous. Think Ivan The Terrible, The Queen of Hearts (Alice In Wonderland), Smaug (The Hobbit), etc.
• Absolute Despot (Dominant + Exploitive + Asymmetrical): Combining dominance, exploitation, and asymmetry, these leaders are almost totalitarian in their approach. Think Adolf Hitler, Admiral Thrawn (Star Wars), Saruman (The Lord of The Rings), etc.
• Uncaring Opportunist (Exploitive + Asymmetrical + Detached): Exploits imbalances without any emotional involvement or concern. Think Bernie Madoff, Captain Hook (Peter Pan), Jafar (Aladdin), etc.
• Remote Ruler (Dominant + Asymmetrical + Detached): They rule with an iron fist, show favoritism, and distance themselves from their subordinates. Think Robert Mugabe, Hades (Hercules), Dr. Doom (Fantastic Four), etc.

When all four are combined, we get the most destructive form of leader:

• Toxic Leader: These leaders consistently use dysfunctional behaviors to deceive, intimidate, coerce, or unfairly punish others to get what they want for themselves, at the expense of subordinates, the organization, and mission performance. Think Harvey Weinstein, Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars), Mr. Burns (The Simpsons), etc.

Nobody's Free Until Everybody's Free

Dealing with a destructive leader is complex and inelegant. The best solutions range from executive coaching to detoxifying leadership, social norms, and work design. I hope the D.E.A.D. model helps us identify destructive leaders sooner so that we can dedicate our limited resources to changing the systems that create, attract, and reward them.

Returning to the example of Dana White—I'm optimistic he will someday courageously recognize he's falling short, take a leave of absence to reconfigure his leadership compass, and later return to empower the sport with greater compassion. Despite his shortcomings, the game still needs a disruptor of his caliber. 

But the fact remains that for Francis Ngannou to take a bold stand against his scorned former employer, endure unrelenting hostility, and emerge victorious represents a significant strike against the precedent of tolerating destructive leadership. If the initial reactions to the emancipated fighter’s new partnership are any indication, we may soon reach the dead end of representation by D.E.A.D. presidents and other bad bosses.