The Destroyer 

The Destroyer is hostile and destructive. These leaders use verbal and non-verbal behaviors to demoralize and diminish others. They prioritize short-term, self-enhancing goals over long-term, organizational goals. 

These toxic leaders have volatile temperaments, and they dominate their employees using fear-based tactics intended to undermine the employee’s self-confidence and psychological safety. 

Destroyers tend to:  

  • Intimidate and threaten employees who interfere with their goals 
  • Verbally abuse subordinates by calling them names, mocking, ridiculing, or humiliating them  
  • Have outbursts or angry tantrums 
  • Pit employees against each other
  • Make impulsive decisions
  • Take credit for their employees’ work