The Perils of Insecure Leadership: A Cautionary Tale

In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world, leadership is often glorified as the path to progress, innovation, and success. However, not all leaders are created equal. While confident, secure leaders can inspire growth and positivity, insecure leaders often do the exact opposite. This blog dives into the destructive nature of insecure leadership, unpacking the dangers it poses not just to the individuals in charge, but to their followers and the organizations they lead.

Why Insecure Leaders Are Dangerous

Insecurity in a leader is more than a personal flaw; it’s a threat to the entire ecosystem they oversee. Unlike personal challenges that are typically private, the flaws of a leader have a ripple effect that spreads throughout the team, impacting morale, productivity, and overall well-being. This makes insecure leaders dangerous, as they:

1. Destabilize Teams: Instead of fostering a culture of security, trust, and growth, they create an environment marked by uncertainty, fear, and division.
2. Impede Progress: Insecure leaders often feel threatened by competent, ambitious team members, which leads to blocking or undermining those they see as a threat.
3. Distort Values: Their desire for personal validation overshadows the organization’s values, resulting in a toxic culture that prioritizes ego over excellence.

When leaders are insecure, they prioritize self-preservation over the organization’s greater good, creating an environment fraught with manipulation, inconsistency, and unproductive competition.

Leadership as an Amplifier of Personal Flaws

A leadership position acts like a magnifying glass, amplifying an individual’s personal characteristics—both good and bad. In a leadership role, there’s simply no hiding. Traits that might have gone unnoticed at lower levels of the hierarchy become glaringly obvious, especially when decisions affect larger groups of people. Here’s how insecurity, when amplified by leadership, creates problems:

• Micromanagement: Insecure leaders often micromanage because they lack trust in others, even if they hired them.
• Manipulation: Instead of guiding the team toward a shared vision, insecure leaders manipulate others to protect their position or personal image.
• Favoritism: In a bid to maintain control, they often favor weaker team members who pose no threat, leading to a culture of mediocrity.

The result? High-performing employees either leave or stay disengaged, while the organization falls behind its competitors.

Traits of Insecure Leaders

Let’s take a closer look at some key traits that define insecure leaders and the destructive impact they have:

1. They Don't Provide Security for Others

The hallmark of great leadership is providing stability and support for others. However, insecure leaders fail to create a safe environment for their teams. Their insecurity prevents them from empowering others, as they view others’ success as a potential threat to their own position.

Real-life Illustration: Imagine a CEO who constantly changes priorities and projects based on whims, leaving employees confused and unsure of their roles. The erratic decision-making fosters anxiety, reducing productivity and engagement. This is common in organizations led by individuals more concerned with maintaining their own status than achieving long-term organizational goals.

2. They Take More from People than They Give

Insecure leaders drain their followers rather than energize them. They constantly demand loyalty, validation, and recognition without reciprocating with genuine support or development opportunities.

Real-life Illustration: One of the most notorious examples in recent history is Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of Theranos. Her leadership was marked by taking more than giving—she demanded loyalty and dedication from her team, often at the cost of their integrity and career. Her need to maintain control and preserve her image led to one of the biggest corporate scandals of our time.

3. They Continually Limit Their Best People

Great leaders elevate the strengths of their team members, but insecure leaders do the opposite. They deliberately limit high performers to prevent them from outshining them. Talented employees often find themselves sidelined, not because of lack of ability, but because of their leader’s insecurity.

Personal Encounter: In one of my previous roles, I had supervisors who were conscious of my postgraduate qualifications and often lamented, sometimes even publicly, that they were not as ‘qualified’ or ‘smart’ as me. This created a tension where I felt limited, as my achievements were seen as a threat rather than a collective success. Ironically, these were the same people who had hired me, supposedly to benefit from my skills.

4. They Continually Limit Their Organization

Insecure leaders fear change, as it represents a loss of control. They resist innovation and discourage risk-taking because they are terrified of potential failure—or, worse, potential success that could highlight their own inadequacies.

Real-life Illustration: Take the story of Steve Jobs at Apple before he was ousted in 1985. While Jobs was a visionary, his behavior also reflected insecurity in his early years, as he struggled to delegate and trust others. This led to internal conflict and ultimately stagnation within the organization, necessitating his removal to pave the way for a healthier culture.

5. They Are Arrogant and Full of Themselves

Arrogance often masks deep-seated insecurity. Insecure leaders can appear overly confident, even brash, as a defensive mechanism to protect themselves from criticism. However, this arrogance alienates their followers and prevents open communication and collaboration.

6. They Are Eager to Showcase Their Achievements Loudly

Insecure leaders are usually the loudest in the room about their achievements, as they constantly seek external validation. Their obsession with personal accolades often overshadows team achievements.

Personal Encounter: After I left a previous organization, my successor removed all photographs of company events featuring me and deleted my profile and achievements from the corporate website. The effort to erase any trace of my contributions illustrated their need to be seen as the sole achiever. It wasn’t about acknowledging past successes; it was about monopolizing recognition.

7. They Bury Others’ Achievements

Instead of celebrating others, insecure leaders suppress their accomplishments. They take credit for others’ hard work and present it as their own, creating a culture of resentment and mistrust.

Personal Encounter: I’ve experienced this firsthand, with immediate supervisors who often took credit for my contributions. When they left the organization, they labeled my successes as their legacy, ignoring my role entirely. This left me feeling undervalued and demotivated, even as I strived to drive the organization forward.

How to Spot and Handle Insecure Leaders

Spotting insecure leaders is not always easy, but certain behaviors make it clear. If you find yourself working under someone who:

• Deflects praise while absorbing all blame, it's a sign of deep insecurity.
• Avoids giving feedback, fearing confrontation or pushback.
• Favors yes-men over competent contributors, undermining innovation and growth.

Dealing with Insecure Leaders

Working with an insecure leader can be exhausting, but here are some ways to navigate the relationship:

1. Set Boundaries: While it’s important to remain professional, don’t let their insecurity undermine your confidence.
2. Document Your Achievements: Keep a personal record of your contributions, as insecure leaders are likely to overlook them.
3. Find Allies: Build a network of support within or outside the organization to ensure you have resources and perspectives to maintain your motivation and career growth.

Conclusion: The Cost of Insecurity in Leadership

Insecure leaders cause more harm than good, leaving behind a trail of wasted potential, disillusioned teams, and stunted organizational growth. The best way to protect yourself and your team from insecure leadership is to cultivate your own sense of security, set clear boundaries, and be a positive influence within your sphere of control.

The lessons learned from encountering insecure leaders can also shape us to be better leaders in our own right. By recognizing and avoiding these destructive patterns, we can create environments that foster genuine growth, trust, and achievement.

Dr Victor Goh