Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership

Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary L. McIntosh and Samuel D. Rima is a candid, courageous, and profoundly useful examination of a subject that most leadership books carefully avoid: the shadow side of the personality that can cause talented, well-intentioned leaders to undermine, derail, or destroy the very things they have worked so hard to build. Drawing on research, biographical case studies, and clinical psychology, the authors illuminate how the same inner drives that propel people to positions of leadership can also, left unexamined, become their greatest liabilities.

McIntosh and Rima identify five distinct dysfunctional leadership profiles — the compulsive, the narcissistic, the paranoid, the codependent, and the passive-aggressive — and explore how each manifests in real leadership behaviour: the micromanaging perfectionist, the charismatic leader who cannot bear to be challenged, the suspicious executive who sees enemies everywhere, the leader who needs to be needed, and the leader who avoids all difficult decisions. Each profile is illuminated with historical and contemporary examples.

Crucially, the book does not stop at diagnosis. McIntosh and Rima provide a practical framework for developing the self-awareness that is the first and most essential step towards genuine leadership health — helping readers examine their own histories, identify the drivers behind their leadership style, and begin the inner work that produces more authentic, more effective, and more sustainable leadership.

A book that every serious leader should read — not because they necessarily recognise themselves in its darker pages, but because the examined leader is always a better leader. Honest, insightful, and ultimately encouraging, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership is an essential resource for anyone committed to leading with integrity and self-knowledge.

Product Details

ISBN: 9788190959520
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Author: Gary L. McIntosh & Samuel D. Rima
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
Recommended Age: 18+
Weight: Approx. 240 g
Delivery Time: 5-7 Business Days