It is an interesting question to ask whether Silverback Gorilla characteristics (the antithesis of selfless behaviour) are evident in all leaders. Another good question to ask is one that was asked almost 400 years ago in terms of life itself:
In Leviathan (1661) Hobbes said that “Man’s life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” As I have argued throughout my research and consultations on selfless leadership, Hobbes believed that people are naturally selfish and wicked and cannot be trusted, with Dawkins later arguing that we have a selfish gene which prioritises survival or ourselves and our kin. Hobbes’ solution to this problem was strong, authoritarian government (or monachy) to control the primitive or “natural” state of humanity then characterised by violent and brutal behaaviour. By association, this included leadership, as illustrated in my adaptation of Hobbes’ quotation.
My adaptation of Thomas Hobbes’ famous description of life in the state of nature—”solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”—is offered as a powerful and provocative lens to examine the nature of leadership today. I invite reflection on whether leadership has become too isolated, transactional, harsh, and fleeting, often driven by self-interest rather than service. Hobbes, writing in Leviathan, argued that human life devolves into chaos without order and authority—a notion that resonates in leadership when authority lacks moral grounding or vision.
In Jean Lipman-Blumen’s The Allure of Toxic Leaders, she explores why people continue to follow leaders who exhibit destructive behaviours—often driven by fear, dependency, or a misplaced hope for security and success. This insight aligns with Hobbes’ view that people submit to authority—even harsh or toxic forms—because they crave stability and order in uncertain times. Today, the allure of strong but toxic leaders persists, particularly during crises, when followers may accept autocratic or divisive leadership in exchange for perceived safety.
My adaptation of Hobbes and its alignment with Lipman-Blumen, challenges us to consider whether leadership has strayed from service into self-interest and whether followers, drawn by charisma or fear, are complicit in perpetuating poor leadership. The antidote may lie in fostering leaders who blend authority with empathy, creating communities that inspire trust, courage, and shared purpose rather than submission or fear.
This is what we can describe as a selfless approach to Authentic Leadership.
My exploration of The Good, Bad, and Ugly Dimensions of Leadership from eighteen months examined how leadership approaches influence organisational and societal outcomes. Today, I revisit that discussion through a fresh lens, guided by Thomas Hobbes’ famous description of life in the state of nature: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” The question we must now confront is: Does leadership today reflect the solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short characteristics described by Hobbes?
In my linkedin post of October 2023 I discussed the perils presented by toxic leadership together with collective memory and groupthink. The need to address these challenges has grown more pressing now that we live in a world characterised by even more volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).
The pull of toxic leadership remains strong in acting against selfless behaviour.
Jean Lipman-Blumen explains in The Allure of Toxic Leaders that followers tend to gravitate towards destructive leaders because they seek fear relief and hope along with stable certainty during unstable periods. My earlier examination of groupthink reveals how suppressing dissent and promoting conformity to a dominant narrative leads to destructive blind spots. The lessons derived from historical events continue to hold their significance today. Leadership requires proactive strategies beyond simply responding to uncertain circumstances.
Authenticity is key in demonstrating selfless leadership
In my previous reflections on authentic leadership, I suggested that authenticity includes the characteristics of self-awareness and moral grounding combined with the alignment of individual and organisational values. Leaders must prioritize both personal and organisational authenticity now more than at any other time to strike the right balance.
Towards a Selfless Challenge, which requires a dual commitment:
At the Individual Level: Bill George teaches us in Authentic Leadership that leaders need to develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence while maintaining a strong connection to their True North.
At the Institutional Level: Organisations can create environments that support authentic leadership through their focus on values-driven governance and transparent ethical decision-making.
The time for change is now. We need to advance past leadership which operates in isolation and serves only personal interests. To move forward in our increasingly VUCA world we must develop leaders who can manage complexity with authenticity and courage while serving a collective purpose.
Watch this space for further discussions on authenticy flow at both individual and institutional levels in securing leadership that is the opposite of being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.
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