ABSTRACT
The hubris risk factors in this chapter are complicit followers and conducive context which are two elements in a toxic triangle of hubristic leadership (the third element is hubristic leader behaviours). The case of Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of the now defunct blood-testing company Theranos, illustrates how complicit followers and a conducive context can enable hubristic leadership and its tragic consequences. Different follower types (conformers and colluders) are discussed as is the role that the media, ineffective boards, and organisational culture play in amplifying leaders’ hubris. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how exposure to complicit followers and conducive contexts can be avoided and what the early warning signs of the toxic triangle are.
