Throughout history, leaders have relied on fear, intimidation, and punishment to compel obedience. But does dominance actually sustain power? In today’s episode, we explore the paradox of coercive leadership: why it works in moments of crisis yet almost always collapses over time.

We’ll talk about the hidden costs of fear-based leadership, why dominance is so tempting to executives under pressure, and how business leaders can avoid its most dangerous traps.

Don’t settle for short-term obedience fueled by fear. Start cultivating the kind of authority that earns respect, unlocks innovation, and sustains long-term performance in your organization.

In this episode:

- Dominance in leadership & its evolutionary roots

- Why dominance works

- Fragility of fear-based leadership

- The human side of dominance: China's unifications

- Why leaders fall back on dominance despite its costs

Get Your Copy of The Mammoth in the Room: https://mammothleadershipsciences.com/book/

Resources Used in the Episode: 

Henrich, J., & Gil-White, F. J. (2001). The evolution of prestige: freely conferred deference as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22(3), 165–196: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11384884/ 

Turchin, P., & Gavrilets, S. (2009). Evolution of complex hierarchical societies. Social Evolution & History, 8(2), 167–198: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266884396_Evolution_of_Complex_Hierarchical_Societies 

Van Vugt, M., & Smith, J. E. (2019). A dual model of leadership and hierarchy: Evolutionary synthesis. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(11), 952–967: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31629633/  

Get in Touch: 

Website: https://www.mammothleadershipscien ces.com    

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaspokorny 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MammothLeadershipSciences