The Reward of Fear – How Silence and Incentives Keep Toxic Managers in Power
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 13
- 5 min read
Barbara Suigo is a charisma expert, HR consultant, and author. Specializing in the development of soft skills, she has published the "Charisma Trilogy" and offers personalized training and coaching programs for leaders and professionals.
Many organizations claim to value employee well-being and a healthy workplace, yet aggressive or abusive managers often continue to be promoted or protected. This article explores why toxic leaders manage to stay or even rise within companies, offering a clear overview of the psychological, cultural, and organizational mechanisms that sustain this phenomenon.
Organizational dynamics that reward toxicity
Focus on short-term results
Many organizations evaluate leaders almost exclusively based on numerical outcomes, without considering how those results are achieved. Toxic managers often deliver impressive short-term performance through public humiliation or intimidation, tactics that may drive productivity but simultaneously erode trust and morale.
This “results-at-all-costs” culture becomes fertile ground for bullies and abusers. Focused solely on short-term numbers, such leaders are frequently celebrated, promoted, or even imitated, while top management rarely questions the means used to reach those goals. The implicit message is clear, performance matters more than process, and targets matter more than people.
Self-promotion, narcissism, and political skills
Toxic leaders excel at self-promotion, taking credit for others’ work, and deflecting blame onto subordinates. Driven by inflated egos and strong narcissistic traits, they are skilled at manipulating perceptions and appearing competent to their superiors. Their social cunning allows them to mask abusive behaviors and present themselves as indispensable, their egocentrism and obsession with control are often mistaken for “strong leadership.”
Promotions based on seniority or technical skills
Many companies promote technically skilled or long-serving employees without assessing their actual management abilities. Longevity or technical expertise are often rewarded over leadership competence, and newly appointed managers, lacking adequate training, may adopt toxic behaviors due to poor relational skills. In many cases, promotion and leadership development criteria remain rooted in quantitative metrics, ignoring the need to evaluate emotional intelligence, interpersonal abilities, and the right mindset for guiding others.
Flawed incentives and oversight
Reward systems focused solely on financial results can encourage destructive behavior. When incentives measure only output, ignoring how it is achieved, they fuel narcissism, control, and abuse of power. There are countless examples of managers who, despite engaging in psychological harassment or intimidation, continue to be rewarded for their performance. In many organizations, blind admiration for charismatic figures and a culture that avoids conflict prevent these individuals from being questioned, while the lack of psychological safety discourages employees from speaking up.
Institutional protection and the role of HR
Corporate governance structures often end up protecting toxic managers rather than holding them accountable. HR departments, instead of safeguarding employees, are frequently perceived as extensions of management. Complaints are overlooked when the perpetrator is a high performer, and internal procedures tend to discourage reporting. Toxic leaders are often retained because they produce measurable results, even at the cost of high turnover and low engagement. When top executives turn a blind eye to abusive conduct, they implicitly legitimize it, allowing it to cascade down through the hierarchy. Some leaders, skilled in managing upward, manage to win the trust of their superiors while maintaining destructive behaviors toward their teams.
Lack of supervision and managerial training
The presence of bad bosses often reflects a lack of oversight from their own superiors. In many companies, managers receive little guidance or training, leading to outdated practices such as micromanagement, poor communication, and punitive control. Without clear standards or ongoing leadership development, many focus solely on financial results, neglecting people’s growth and team well-being.
Psychological and cultural dynamics that enable tolerance
Followers’ needs and psychological vulnerabilities
Employees are not always passive victims, they sometimes contribute, consciously or unconsciously, to the persistence of toxic leadership. Many complain about their managers yet rarely confront them or leave. Deep psychological needs for safety, belonging, and recognition can make people seek strong figures who promise protection and direction. Toxic leaders exploit these vulnerabilities, offering stability or success in exchange for obedience and conformity.
Practical needs also play a role, financial security or the difficulty of finding another job keeps many people trapped in unhealthy environments.
Rationalizing abuse and performance perception
Abusive behavior is often rationalized or reframed. When a manager achieves good results, employees tend to see them as “demanding but fair,” even when their attitude is aggressive or humiliating. Conversely, an ineffective leader is judged more harshly for the same conduct. In many organizations, strong performance blurs ethical judgment, allowing productivity to become an implicit justification for toxic behavior.
Corporate culture, hero worship, and conflict avoidance
A culture that idolizes the “hero leader” while discouraging dissent provides fertile ground for toxicity. When criticism is perceived as a threat and conflict is avoided, abusive conduct goes unchallenged. The lack of psychological safety prevents employees from speaking up, while distorted incentive systems continue to reward those who deliver short-term results even when they damage relationships and trust.
Fear, intimidation, and silence
Fear acts as a powerful adhesive. Afraid of retaliation, many employees adapt, overperform, or try to appease toxic leaders, even knowing that doing so reinforces a dysfunctional system. The absence of safe reporting channels and distrust toward internal protection mechanisms sustains the silence, those who speak up risk isolation or career repercussions.
Cultural factors and organizational context
Toxic leaders thrive in environments that celebrate performance without questioning how it is achieved. Unstable organizations marked by low transparency or authoritarian leadership create fertile ground for control and micromanagement. Tolerance for coercive styles, fear of retaliation, and the confusion between authority and domination perpetuate these behaviors. A lack of self-awareness and high stress among managers further amplify the problem, allowing destructive dynamics to take root and persist over time.
This topic will be explored further in my upcoming book, Charismatic Psychopaths, a study of the dark side of charisma and how some leaders turn their charm into a tool of manipulation and control within organizations.
Understanding these mechanisms is the first step toward transforming workplace culture and creating healthier environments where leadership is measured not only by results, but by the quality of human connection.
Read more from Barbara Suigo
Barbara Suigo, Senior HR Consultant, Author, Charisma Expert
Born in Italy and naturalized as a French citizen, Barbara Suigo is an HR consultant, author, coach, and trainer specializing in the art of charisma. With solid experience in corporate communication and extensive training in NLP, persuasion, and storytelling techniques, she supports professionals and companies by offering personalized coaching, training programs, and in-depth content.
Barbara is the author of the Charisma Trilogy, a work that deeply explores how to develop and harness personal influence and leadership presence. She has also published other books focused on personal and professional growth, solidifying her role as a leader in the field of soft skills development.
