When I was in Kenya doing a pastors conference I spent a day with a friend who was a PhD student doing research on African political leaders. One book he recommended to me was The Allure of Toxic Leaders, by Jean Lipman-Blumen.
I'm re-reading this now as I prepare for my Oct. 11 Zoom seminar on unhealthy churches, and how to help them.
Here are Lipman-Blumen's...
Dysfunctional personal characteristics of toxic leaders.
• Lack of integrity that marks the leader as cynical,
corrupt, hypocritical, or untrustworthy
• Insatiable ambition that prompts leaders to put their own
sustained power, glory, and fortunes above their followers’ well-being
• Enormous egos that blind leaders to the shortcomings of
their own character and thus limit their capacity for self-renewal
• Arrogance that prevents acknowledging their mistakes and,
instead, leads to blaming others
• Amorality that makes it nigh impossible for them to
discern right from wrong
• Avarice that drives leaders to put money and what money
can buy at the top of the list
• Reckless disregard for the costs of their actions to
others as well as to themselves
• Cowardice that leads them to shrink from the difficult
choices
• Failure both to understand the nature of relevant
problems and to act competently and effectively in leadership situations
