Fear of Powerlessness to Challenge a Bad Leader
Our fear of powerlessness to challenge a bad leader. Finally, followers may unintentionally enable destructive leaders because they feel helpless to change them. Once a part of a group, followers often feel pressure to conform to the norms of the group. They find that it is not easy to challenge the leader or go against the leader’s plans for the group. For example, in political parties, people often feel pressure to support the party’s platform even when they feel diametrically opposed to it. Specifically, when a leader acts inappropriately or treats others in harmful ways, it is hard for followers to muster the courage to address the leader’s behavior. Groups provide security for followers, and the threat of losing this security can make it scary and uncomfortable to challenge authority figures. To speak truth to power is a brave act, and followers often feel impotent to express themselves in the face of authority. Although being an accepted follower in a group carries with it many benefits, it does not always promote personal agency. After all, who would support you if you challenged the leader? For example, imagine what it would be like to be a gay employee in an organization whose leadership is openly prejudiced against LGBTQ rights. Would you be likely to express disapproval of the leadership and its policies?
