Leadership's mid-level dark aspects

Jack is a mid-level manager in the insurance industry. For the past two years, Jack has observed what might be considered hubristic behavior of his Executive Team. Hubris behavior is described as a form of destructive pride that leads to actions like aggression, hostility, relational issues, interpersonal conflicts, and other negative behaviors (Tracy and Robins, 2007). Jack was frustrated with leaders' egos interrupting decision-making.

For example, in a recent team meeting, Jack and his colleague took a leap of faith and shared a challenge in a training program. When they shared their critiques, the executive leader heading the training project exploded out of anger, blasted them with negative sentiments, and left the call. This explosive reaction was driven by the executive's egos. It was also not the only time Jack had been on the receiving end of this behavior. As a result of other experiences similar to this, Jack decided to resign a few weeks after the incident. Jack was not alone in this decision, as several mid-level managers in the same company resigned around the same time as him.