How not to lead: Walter White´s Leadership Style

There are thousands of articles, books and research papers out there on leadership topics. There are billions of dollars invested in the leadership training and capacity building industry. Millions of hours might be invested in coaching and mentoring. And there are many examples of what positive, negative and toxic leadership can do to an organization and its people.  

Yet, despite all that, some leaders still lack the capacity (or willingness?) to empower, delegate authority and provide the environment and conditions for their people to reach their highest levels of creativity and engagement as they work towards their purpose.

In the iconic TV show Breaking Bad, Walter White, the chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-lord, was asked why he was sure that something had worked out well. The person who was asking, Mike, wasn’t convinced and argued with Walter in order to determine what made him so sure. At that moment, full of irony, Walter replied “because I say so”. Mike didn’t say anything. He wasn’t more convinced than before with Walter’s own certainty. Mike only looked back at him with cold eyes.  So how does this example relate to leadership?

What is Walter White leadership about?

One of the most fascinating elements of the show is the transformation of Walter White, from a harmless high school teacher to the most frightening meth lord. During his transformation, though, it was not only his character, but also his leadership style that changed. At one point in the show, Walter White said that he was not in the meth or the money business, but in the “empire business”. That pretty much sums up his leadership style, the one of an emperor.

“Heisenberg” (Walter White’s meth lord name) leadership style was characterized by:

• “Stay out of my territory”: The Walter White´s leadership style was to conquer territories at any cost. Not only did he not want to share, he sought to eliminate all of those around him who would potentially compete with him.
  • A productive leadership style invites people with various perspectives to build together a purpose. Such leadership style would invite people to the territory in which they shared a purpose. And instead of eliminating “enemies”, a productive leader treats differences and conflicts with a positive outlook, trying to get the most advantage out of it.
• “I am the one who knocks”: when Heisenberg’s wife expressed concern for the family safety, he responded “You clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No! I am the one who knocks!”
  • A productive leadership style doesn’t build trust through authority, but through influence. Walter White’s style is to terrify people by demonstrating the evil he is capable of. At a different extent, but with a similar underlying concept, many leaders still use their power and positions of authority to threaten and achieve. Such behavior not only demotivates people, but it disengages them, regardless of how powerful the purpose might be. I’ve heard many times “people quit their bosses, not their job.”
• “Because I say so”: as previously explained, I think this is the less euphemistic way possible to tell subordinates “you will do as I say, because I am the boss”. This is one of my favorite Walter White quotes because it portrays the way a leadership style can be highly authoritative, without being overly aggressive.
  • Productive leaders influence people by building integrity, trust and showing that they care. It is only by these means that people can get energized around a purpose. When leaders have integrity and trust in their people, the foundations of an environment to thrive are set.
• “I did it for me”: in the next-to-last episode, Walter’s wife demanded that he say that becoming a meth lord was not for the family. Walter replied “"I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really -- I was alive." Unfortunately, when I look at many of the organizations that have failed and never recovered, for whatever reason, ego oftentimes seems to be the culprit. Leaders who never admit their failures are failing to recognize opportunities for support and potential recovery.
  • A productive leadership style leaves behind the ego. Satisfaction is a necessary reward for smart and hard work; it keeps the engine of motivation and engagement oiled and in motion. We all need that kind of oil. However, ego is a different thing. When it gets in the way between your actions and the purpose of the organization, results can be disastrous. Keep your ego under control and don’t let it dominate you.

What is Leadership all about?

The billions of words scripted in all the leadership material available really boil down to the two most important responsibilities that a leader has: 1) have a purpose or vision, communicate it and energize people around it; and 2) create the environment and conditions for people to unleash their potential and thrive in their quest to achieve that purpose. Achieving the purpose is a collective endeavor. People not only need to be motivated and engaged, but also empowered.

A leadership style that promotes empowerment also requires transferring independence and authority to make decisions as a way to motivate and engage people. Delegation, without the transfer of skills to make decisions, is a monument to failure.

An alternative to Walter White’s style: Empowering Delegation

Empowering delegation means that leaders and those in the capacity to make decisions will transfer, either formally or informally, some decision-making independence and authority to colleagues within their teams. At the same time, those who transfer “power” need to ensure that the newly empowered people have the tools to fully and successfully carry out the tasks, and learn in the process.

This type of empowerment, with the component of delegation, keeps leaders and people in a mutual accountability process: leaders’ requests from their team elicit sound decisions on important issues; and the people request the tools, resources and knowledge to make those decisions.

By doing this, you are increasing the motivation and engagement of your team by trusting them and sharing activities that might be important for them and which promote their learning.

An Opportunity for Development

People are motivated by different needs and, particularly, their engagement is highly determined by extrinsic or intrinsic motivators. Empowering Delegation is an excellent tool to promote development for individuals who feel motivated to gain experience, respect and acknowledgement. These individuals gain engagement when leaders set create the environment for them to thrive. They see it as an opportunity for constant learning.

As I mentioned before, leaders have the responsibility to create the environment for people to give their best and thrive. Leaders want people’s energy invested in meaningful activities that create fulfillment and contribute to the purpose of the individuals and the organization. In doing so, they align individuals’ expectations to organization’s needs.

Putting it all together

Whether you are fan of Breaking Bad or not, I think you can connect the dots and make the conclusions by yourself. A Walter White style of leadership is not sustainable. It might seem to work in the short term, when dictating your will to your subordinates yield results because of your authoritative approach. Nevertheless, in the long term, it simply disconnects people from you and the larger purpose of the organization. I know the examples in here are extreme, but it is surprising that many leaders still use a “softer” approach, yet with the same underlying principles. Practice Empowering Delegation as a way to connect, motivate and engage people around a purpose, and create the environment for them to take advantage of the opportunities, develop and stay enthusiastic.

About the Author: Enrique Rubio is an HR Professional at the Inter-American Development Bank. He is an Electronic Engineer and a Fulbright scholar with an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Enrique researches and writes about leadership and HR and seeks to explore the overlaps of productivity and leadership in the business and non-profit world. Enrique is also a competitive ultrarunner.

Twitter: @erubio_p

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