ABSTRACT
There is an assumption that individuals who assume leadership positions and become educational administrators have good will and intent for peers, subordinates, and their organizations. Typically, leadership is associated with positive behaviours and outcomes that illustrate the principles of effective leadership and the ability of a leader to establish trust (Bennis 1995; Blackmore 2006; Fairholm 1994; Farnsworth 2006; Goleman 2006; Greenleaf 2002; Klein and Diket 2006; Sergiovanni 2005; Starratt 2005; Thomas 2003; Tschannen-Moran 2004). However, there is a growing body of scholarship within the fi elds of education, leadership, management, and psychology that acknowledges the darker side of leadership (Griffi n and O’Leary-Kelley 2004; Kellerman 2004; Klein 2009; Klein and Stokes 2008; Padilla, Hogan, and Kaiser 2007; Samier and Atkins 2009; Westhues 2004, 2006b), that there are leaders who cause harm to others, violating the trust of organizational members. This darker side of leadership is widely known as ‘destructive leadership’ (Einarsen, Aasland, and Skogstad 2007; Padilla, Hogan, and Kaiser 2007). Other terms associated with destructive leadership include ‘toxic leadership’ (Lipman-Blumen 2005), ‘abusive supervision’ (Harvey et al. 2007; Tepper 2000), ‘petty tyrants’ (Ashforth 1994), ‘bad leadership’ (Kellerman 2004), ‘derailed leaders’ (Einarsen, Aasland, and Skogstad 2007), ‘strategic bullying’ (Ferris et al. 2007), and ‘bullying and mobbing’ (Harvey et al. 2007; Namie and Namie 2000;Westhues 2003, 2006a).
