The Toxic Triangle of Leadership

The dark side of leaders' personality traits continues to garner attention in leadership research and practice due to the impact on employees' well-being and organisational reputation. However, further investigation is required regarding the influence of identifiable personality traits on the leadership process and how organisations can mitigate the effects. This chapter explores the toxic triangle through the theoretical lens of the revised leadership process model. We highlight that dark leadership occurs through the trait activation process and is further entrenched in organisations by destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and a conducive environment. We discuss some lessons for leaders, including the need to establish a culture of checks and balances that protects organisational members from the deleterious effects of dark leadership.<p></p>