How To Spot A Leading Edge Deviant in Your Generation
- Jan 17
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 19
Written by Latasha Nicole Phillips, Life Purpose Coach
SoulFlwr LLC is a sacred service-oriented business with a focus on assisting those who come in contact with personal development progression with a focus on the self.
Imagine being drawn to listening to a motivational speaker in a social media video, podcast, or audiobook. You fell in love with them because they inspire you with their positive insight surrounding things like love, compassion, unity, and the empowerment of community. They are also a passionate leader who speaks out about issues within humanity regarding equality, mental health, spirituality, and global affairs. Their persona screams leader on the rise! They promote integrity, transparency, and authenticity with confidence and conviction. They also have a consistent reputation here, they fearlessly face conflict, competition, and are masters of debate. Sounds great, right? This is the type of leadership that we all would ideally aspire to support or become. However, do not be deceived. Some of these very same dynamics lie in individuals who use our natural inclinations against us. We at SoulFlwr call them Leading Edge Deviants. And in this article, we'll show you how to easily identify them.
What is a leading-edge deviant?
Our example above is a basic description of the masks that leading-edge deviants carry. A leading-edge deviant is a leader or authority figure who uses their gifts and talents for personal gain. They do not seek to add value to the world. They may use things that are beneficial to you or your community for personal gain, but again, be aware.
Everything that they do is out of service to self. A great number of them are rebels of society, concealing significantly questionable character. This makes them great winners at all costs and sore yet petty losers.
They can, however, be fun, charming, confident, and many even have the gift of gab. Due to their genius, they are multifaceted. And we must give them their flowers for their faith in self. That is their main attraction factor for their success. They pride themselves on being able to hold their weight against anyone. And because of their devoted self-belief, they become masters of getting what they want. This is a gift if used in a way that inspires us and others to be better in some way. It is not. You will only benefit if you assist them in benefiting themselves. Otherwise, you will be taken advantage of, taken for granted, or experience some form of suffering as a result of your affiliation with them.
You may think they are difficult to identify since they blend so well with our leading-edge divergents. But be aware that for deviants, their interactions with you have a very different intention. Because of their magnetic personality, they can be either the life of the party or hidden in plain sight in social settings. Their mask depends on what agenda they have at play. No need to worry though. They may wear a mask, but energy never lies.
In my experience, I have encountered leading-edge deviants in most settings in my life. They were all leaders in some capacity too. Many of these encounters were lessons about myself and what I allowed. Again, a leading-edge deviant is usually magnetic. They attract others with ease because they are masters of charm, seduction, and disguise with a noteworthy faith in self. The unfortunate thing is that their energy and their lives usually reveal their lack of character by some shadowy behavior that undermines everything that they build for themselves. This leaves a trail of chaos, confusion, and trauma in the wake of those connected to them. So it is important to raise awareness regarding this type of personality. Because (especially in the spotlight), these individuals have a strong tendency to appear to be something that they are not. Let's look at some positions where you may encounter a leading-edge deviant.
Law enforcement
The exposure of leading-edge deviants within this institution has been especially prevalent in the past 12 years or so. There is a stark reality of authority abuse for personal gain. These are the officers who violate the rights of citizens. They falsely accuse, plant evidence (and steal evidence), lie under oath, and force confessions out of innocent people, even minors. These individuals mar the image of officers who believe in serving and protecting their communities with integrity and justice in fairness.
Creatives
Creatives cover a wide range of areas! We have art, music, poetry, writing, public speaking, acting, dance, and even sports. Creative people inspire us in boundless ways. They play a sacred role in our society because they influence our culture and the changes that we make in them.
Here’s the problem. Leading-edge deviants seek self-service. Attention for their gifts and talents tends to feed this self-service into a full-blown arrogance. Many of them are blind to it. After all, they do deserve the recognition that they receive. People look up to them and validate them as an inspiration for their art/work. The sun of success is shining too brightly for them to see an error in their ways. Therefore, a leading-edge deviant who is creative has the potential to perpetuate many forms of debilitating trauma and abuse without proper accountability. Today, we are seeing many of these creatives brought to
Justice after years of perpetuating abuse on many people. Victims fear coming forward due to the reputation and contributions that these deviants make in society.
In my experience with creative deviants, they developed an inflated ego that excluded personal responsibility for the suffering of others. They, too, were eventually exposed for their arrogance, lack of character, and shadowy behaviors that led to the abuse of numerous victims. Their demise was public and even tragically fatal.
Management
Many of us know what it is like to have a bad boss, so this is an example of a leading-edge deviant for management. One of the worst ones for me is the micromanager. For me, this is a flat-out work bully.
Years ago, I worked at a plant in western Tennessee. The place was full of good people, but the management was the worst in my career. I am the type of person who can work well in teams but work best alone. Either way, I don’t need anyone breathing down my neck. Micromanagers apparently don’t believe that people like me exist. So in my time there, I got into a "lot" of disagreements with them. My reputation as a leader with integrity and fairness among my peers was evident. As a result, management became intimidated. I even had one tell me I had to do what they said because I was the "property" of the company! Needless to say, this manager did "not" get my love and light side as a response.
Eventually, my unwillingness to betray my own principles led to my being sabotaged out of promotion on three different occasions. I was informed about them by my peers and some of the management. Eventually, I resigned due to a lack of opportunities for promotion.
Leading-edge deviants are very smart and use their resources and connections well. They are masters of disguise and can cover their tracks exceptionally well in some cases. In this company, much of the management was leading-edge deviants. They loved the corporate game. Every career move is for personal gain, and many were known to secretly sabotage people more qualified. It was there that I learned well that there is no honor amongst thieves.
Religious, personal development, & spiritual leaders
Here is where we really need to be aware. These leading-edge deviants are creatives, but they need their own spotlight because they have maximum impact on the lives of those that they encounter. Here is where a lot of narcissists and narcissistic couples reside.
Leading-edge deviants are dangerous in these positions because our vulnerabilities are exposed to them for guidance. These types of leaders build empires by using manipulation and exploitation through fear and guilt to control others. They have a tendency (in many cases) to be into self-glorification as well.
One of the biggest red flags of a leading-edge deviant in leadership is hypocrisy. Their actions often contradict the moral and ethical teachings they claim to uphold. In my experience, it was nine out of ten cases. This is why it's essential to discern the difference between a genuine leader of whatever institution they represent from a corrupt one. This is especially true for these types of leaders. In this case, the sooner you detect the telltale signs of hypocrisy, the better. They, too, have a reputation for long-term trauma and abuse.
Politicians
Corrupt politicians are leading-edge deviants who are masters of disguise. They are mesmerizing!! Meanwhile, they are abusing public office for personal gain, polarizing, disregarding ethical standards, and making (and breaking) laws without transparency and accountability.
They are excellent performers, and many are great public speakers. A good sign of one is those who have cult-like followings. These individuals have an even greater impact on our societies. This is one of the positions where a unified front of the people and high scrutiny are a must.
Entrepreneurs
Leading-edge deviants in this category use mostly manipulation tactics, in my experience.
They will do whatever it takes to make a dollar or a sale. Examples of these individuals can be CEOs, car salesmen, and large franchise owners. You would be surprised at how much they invest in manipulation tactics to persuade you into buying their product and/or service.
Social media content creators
Thanks to the advancement of technology, leading-edge deviants can now take their agendas to another level. Since technology is pretty much an aspect of all of our lives now, the potential influence of leading-edge deviants is exponential. Scammers and many hackers are definitely leading-edge deviants. I wouldn't be afraid to bet many of them are far from getting caught doing their shenanigans somewhere on the dark web.
Additionally, they now have AI to use. This expands their possibilities even more. Misinformation can be packaged and sent to you in seconds. If you don’t know how to fact-check, you are vulnerable. What a world we live in!
They are everywhere
In conclusion, all gifts are given without repentance. A leading-edge deviant can literally be anyone. Therefore, being able to recognize their characteristics is crucial for all generations. Leading-edge deviants are catalysts for unhealthy patterns and their cycles, from the individual to the global scale.
Be encouraged that there are great leaders out there who add value to our lives. However, being aware that there are people who plot to take advantage of you and others is just as great. We forfeit repeating patterns of suffering for ourselves and others by recognizing who is for us and who is just for themselves. This protects us from potential harm and helps us make informed decisions about who we support, accept guidance from, and allow into our lives.
If you think that you are connected to a leading-edge deviant in some way, it may be time to seek support on how to move forward. Remember, who you allow into your life affects who you become in the future. Reach out to us at SoulFlwr for guidance and support if you need any help. We have resources that can help you. If you desire to learn more about this type of individual, we will be discussing this in our SoulGarden podcast on YouTube. Please like, share, and subscribe to our SoulFlwr444 channel. You can also go to our website. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.
Read more from Latasha Nicole Phillips
Latasha Nicole Phillips, Life Purpose Coach
Latasha Phillips & Shawn Cross are African American female leaders in mastery learning and meditation fields who assist others in personal development and self-improvement endeavours. They have two decades of experience with various tools and resources that they currently use to live lives of inner peace and fulfillment. They created Soulflwr LLC as a sacred service to all who are ready to heal their past and themselves.
