Leadership - Fear and Intimidation – What Does Science Say?

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I wanted to approach this topic head-on, especially after a situation I became involved in yesterday that relates to this topic.

At some point in your career, depending on your age, you’ve likely worked with managers, peers, or even coworkers who used fear and intimidation to get what they wanted. This approach to leadership and relationships is contentious and has significant organizational implications.

While maybe not as prevalent today (at least I hope not), it still exists, often in positions of authority.

Why do leaders use fear and intimidation? The short answer is because it works—especially in the short term. Few healthy employees go to work with the goal of starting a verbal joust of challenging their boss.

But in the long term, fear-based leadership comes at a high cost to trust, morale, and organizational culture.

Years ago, as a young manager in the furniture industry, I often encountered these types of leaders, and candidly, I struggled with them. I didn’t understand their methods and used to joke that they must’ve had gunpowder in their diet—an old wives' tale suggesting eating gunpowder makes you mean.

Looking back, I’ve concluded that some of this behavior was generational. My parents and grandparents worked jobs close to home, where having a steady paycheck meant survival. Managers could treat people however they wanted, and it didn’t matter. If employees got paid on Friday and had a week off for July 4th, they were content. Things are different now.

Why Does Fear Work?

1. Immediate Compliance
   Fear triggers the brain’s fight-or-flight response, activating the amygdala, a small part of the brain which processes emotions like fear, pleasure, and anger. This makes people more likely to comply quickly to avoid negative consequences. Leaders relying on fear often see immediate results, as employees scramble to avoid punishment or criticism. After all, who wants to be in the middle of a conflict?

2. Perceived Power
   Intimidation can make a leader appear powerful or commanding. Behavioral science suggests some people equate dominance with competence, making fear-based leaders seem effective. Even if their methods are harmful long term, leaders using this style often hit their production numbers, translating to perceived success.

3. Cognitive Impairment
   Fear elevates cortisol levels, a stress hormone, in the body. Elevated cortisol levels have physiological and psychological effects that can hinder a person's ability to think clearly and make sound decisions. Employees in fear-driven environments focus narrowly on immediate tasks instead of innovating or solving problems. They do their jobs because they “have to,” not because they “want to.” That difference is the definition of employee engagement.

Additionally, leaders who themselves worked in fear-based environments may view it as the only effective way to manage or a prerequisite for promotion. Albert Bandura’s research in organizational behavior demonstrated that employees often imitate the behaviors of their leaders, especially those in authority or perceived as successful.

Why Leaders Use Fear and Intimidation

• Low Emotional Intelligence
  Some leaders with low emotional intelligence struggle to inspire or connect with others. Fear becomes their only tool for control.

• Pressure and Stress
  Intense organizational pressure can push leaders to prioritize short-term productivity over long-term relationships. Feeling backed into a corner with a looming deadline, some leaders lash out, thinking their title or business card justifies this “get it done at all cost” behavior.

Years ago, I attended a disciplinary action meeting led by an area manager. It was a disaster. The manager was rude, accusatory, and disrespectful, with a terrible tone throughout the session. Afterward, he asked me what I thought. I politely questioned how he had ever been promoted to a leadership role. This was a very stressful but necessary exchange.

The Psychological Impact of Fear

1. Erosion of Psychological Safety
   Fear destroys trust. Employees are less likely to share ideas, admit mistakes, or take risks. In fact, fear often leads to blame-shifting, making accountability a rarity. I call this Sunday Afternoon Syndrome—when Sunday turns from a day of rest to an anxiety-filled countdown to the upcoming workweek.

2. Burnout and Turnover
   Prolonged fear leads to burnout and dissatisfaction. Employees in toxic environments often cut corners, hide mistakes, or lie to avoid conflict. High turnover rates in certain departments or under specific leaders often signal fear-based management.

3. Suppressed Motivation
   Fear suppresses intrinsic motivation. Employees may comply outwardly but disengage mentally, leading to lower productivity and weaker organizational commitment.

4. Toxic Culture
   Fear-based environments are rife with conflict, rudeness, public humiliation, favoritism, and berating. These behaviors destroy team cohesion and morale.

An Alternative - Grace and Truth Leadership

Leaders who balance Grace (listening, understanding, and affirming individual value) with Truth (clarity, accountability, and expectations) create environments where employees thrive. Behavioral science backs this up: people perform best when they feel respected and valued but are also held to high standards.

• Research from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business shows that positive leadership—marked by optimism and emotional support—enhances team resilience and performance, especially during crises.

• Shawn Achor’s research in positive psychology reveals that employees led by optimistic and supportive managers are 31% more productive, three times more creative, and 37% more effective at achieving goals.

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs reminds us that respectful and understanding leadership meets employees’ needs for belonging, empowering them to excel and contribute meaningfully.

Strategies for Leading Without Fear

1. Train for Emotional Intelligence
   Leaders who manage their emotions and understand the emotions of others inspire trust and respect.  Uncontrolled emotions undermine a leader’s credibility and harm team engagement, morale, and organizational success.

2. Create Psychological Safety
   Do not just encourage open, honest communication, demand it as a non-negotiable. Employees should feel safe sharing ideas or admitting mistakes without fear of retribution. Accountability should focus on learning and growth, not blame.

3. Train Leaders to Model Respectful Behavior
   Actions speak louder than words. Leaders must personally demonstrate the behavior they expect from their teams.

4. Hire and Promote for Character
   Look for leaders with empathy and integrity. The best leaders have good hearts and care about their people.

Conclusion

Fear and intimidation may deliver short-term compliance, but the long-term damage to trust, morale, and culture outweighs any immediate gains. Behavioral science emphasizes the importance of psychological safety, empathy, and respect. By leading with grace and truth, leaders can inspire commitment, drive sustainable success, and create workplaces where people thrive.

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