The Ugly Truth About Leadership: Why Do Assholes Become Bosses?
The selfish, the manipulative, the proud arrogant idiots... why is it that they somehow end up in leadership roles, or even worse... as your boss?
It’s painful to watch, but the reason it happens is painfully simple.
It's their motivations... they're fueled by power, money, and pure self-interest.
Forget collective success, making a positive impact, or genuine achievement—they only care about climbing higher... no matter who they step on.
People lacking morals thrive in broken systems. Ruthless ambition gets rewarded, and empathy, soul, talent, or a good heart… that becomes just another thing to exploit.
Trust someone at their word? Good luck—you'll be labeled stupid or weak, as if somehow its obvious that people in business can't be trusted?
Marketing is always lies?
Sales is always a confidence game?
How the hell did that get normalized?! Anyways… I digress…
Bad leaders love your integrity and vulnerability... because they use it against you.
They also prey on desperation, strategically positioning themselves in roles that reward their ruthlessness, and keep soft gentle people around who won't cause problems. They're always calculating angles—not to lift anyone up, but to protect their status.
Credential Creep: The Title Obsession
"Senior Director of Whatever"..."Chief Blah Blah Officer" —the longer and more important the title, the less need for ground-floor skills to be behind it. It's validation for those insecure enough to need it, but some of the most brilliant and successful people I know don't care about titles at all, in fact, personally, I feel that whenever I adopt a title, it is more limiting... it puts me in a box, and builds up expectations.
Ever seen one guy watch three employees do actual work? The interesting thing is that almost everyone assumes the watcher’s the boss... he's the one assumed to be more important.
That visual hierarchy is exactly what bad leaders crave. Status without sweat.
Titles aren't proof of competence—most times, they're about hiding incompetence. It’s mostly fluff and power games… The only title that means anything to me is “owner.”
Intelligence and Success vs. Education and Titles
Education is not intelligence... and... knowledge does not make a person more likely to succeed.
Here are some "hot take" definitions I love...
Success isn't a quick win or a momentary flex. It's when an idea takes root, grows, and benefits everyone involved. It's about creating something that doesn't merely hit its mark—it changes the game and leaves a legacy long after the moment passes.
True success is a lasting impact that stands up to time and transforms how things are done, including your own life, which in turn becomes more free.
Now… intelligence... this is something very different than what most people assume...it isn’t just about a high IQ or getting good grades, it's much more that that, and it does not guarantee success... but it does give you the tools for it.
So how do you recognize true intelligence?
I think it’s the ability to change, pivot, and grow... True intelligence is a secret weapon for getting what you want in life… it’s extremely rare, and often, it requires killing your ego.
You can't just “learn” true intelligence, when it appears, it's almost always organic, sometimes genetic, and not everyone is going to have it, or be capable of it… oh, many are capable of appearing to… but when put to the real test: life—they come up lacking.
Life… so, this usually means go to multiple schools, get credentials, get a job, get a title, drown in debt to try and look rich and impressive, climb the ladder, grab your measly two-week vacation, maybe pay off the mortgage, then die. That’s the script they hand us—like there’s no other way. That doesn’t sound very intelligent to me.
The true test is being able to exit the rat race, and still win, not just navigate it well.
Whether you’re building relationships, chasing your wild dreams, or tackling business or even life’s curveballs, intelligence is reading the room, making bold fast decisions, steering your life where YOU want it to go.
Bad leaders think they can fake this… but it’s not a fixed trait—it’s a honed skill, earned through real-world experience, combined with a big brain and hard lessons, and if used effectively… it lets you take control and shape your own destiny.
This is the key to flipping the script on those bad leaders we all hate, those egos and assholes who seem to always take over everything, simply do what they can’t do… create.
Many people end up completely neutering their intelligence, I know I've been guilty of this, because at times, it's going to piss off a lot of people... especially those who took the time to get all those titles, degrees, etc... and then get stuck in a job, or a life, that they hate. I’ve also found myself actually self-limiting because I don’t want the bad people above me to get all the credit or rewards.
Bad leaders love keeping smart people under their thumb, and many intelligent people end up getting cut off at the knees by a boss, manager, or colleague with a bigger title, or a even a partner or co-founder who might get a prick to their ego to have someone "less than" end up showing them up and making them look weak by simply being the better leader, or having better ideas, bigger goals, and showing true intelligence.
A good leader will never feel threatened by intelligence or skills.
It’s About Control
Bad leaders intentionally complicate simple things because complexity equals control.
New tools, convoluted “productivity” software, endless meetings—they're not about efficiency. They're designed to gatekeep and isolate, keeping the manager feeling important while workers struggle with unnecessary new red tape.
One of my own employees once confessed, “My dream is just a corner office where I chill and watch a team do all the work.”
Seriously? WTF. To me, that’s a sad, boring life—I want my skills tested, my hands busy, deeply involved in meaningful action. Yet somehow this lazy vision is everywhere in middle management: Maximum reward, minimal effort.
Maybe it’s human nature, but damn, I definitely missed that gene… if I didn’t earn it, I don’t want it!
Tyranny vs. Leadership
Some bad leaders genuinely believe they’re good. They have an uncanny knack for justifying every toxic move they make, and at times they are downright delusional.
They’ll even play the victim while dishing out the abuse—no guilt, no remorse. There will be some "bigger purpose" that let's them justify almost anything. This should not be respected... good values, good morals, and good actions should be what we respect, not someones ability to be delusional, arrogant, and hurtful.
Tyrants demand respect through intimidation or title alone, completely disconnected from actual behavior... but real leaders, on the other hand, they earn respect through integrity, confidence, and empowering those around them, regardless of their title.
Everyone wins under a good leader.
Why Do Good People Struggle?
Good people often lose in broken systems because their genuine motivations—empathy, integrity, human connection—are twisted into weaknesses.
Creatives, in particular, often struggle because their strengths rarely align neatly with operations or consistent productivity. Their work comes in passionate bursts, intense waves of innovation, and deeply emotional investment. This "irregular" rhythm becomes a vulnerability in rigid corporate structures built on predictable routines.
Creatives care deeply, and their passion often gets exploited or misunderstood as inefficiency or unreliability. Caring isn't a flaw; it’s proof they have a soul. But corporate environments often punish that soulful connection rather than nurture it.
That’s exactly when I realized I had to become an entrepreneur—I couldn’t rise in a corporate system without losing my soul. I refused to become soulless, to play games of political survival at the cost of my own values. If climbing meant selling out my integrity and killing my creativity, I'd rather leave.
Help The Good Guys Win!
I know a few ways to get started…
Seek to reward authenticity, transparency, and real contributions… ditch the ego.
Elevate competence over political maneuvering, simplify everything—get rid of unnecessary complexity, and then decentralize power and control…
Be brave and not easily impressed. Bad leadership falls apart when it can’t control, intimidate, or impress.
Create spaces where empathy is strength, not weakness… and no, I don't mean those "safe spaces" where people make you agree with their delusions… that’s not helping anything, that’s just another way to exploit empathy.
Good leaders don’t chase titles or seek control over others. They build environments rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and genuine achievement.
And... most importantly... climb toward something meaningful.
Ultimately, victory for good leaders means tearing down structures built on ego, insecurity, and self-serving goals—and replacing them with something real, authentic, and worthy of respect… where those with pure and genuine souls still feel like they have a place to exist, and not be misunderstood or exploited.
I know that’s the kind of place I want to build in, how about you?
Alright, that was all for now Rebel.
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- Rick & Ani
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