Toxic Workplace Culture: Why People Follow Bad Leaders and How to Change It - Wendy M. Edmonds

Send Fan Mail by Text!Full transcript and show notes: https://www.sharnafabiano.com/2026/07/29/toxic-workplace-culture-why-people-follow-bad-leaders-and-how-to-change-it-wendy-m-edmonds/ Why do people continue supporting harmful leaders, even when they recognize destructive behavior? Dr. Wendy M. Edmonds explores toxic followership—the repeated choices and behaviors that allow damaging leadership patterns to continue. Her research challenges the idea that only leaders create organizational problems and reveals how people at every level can recognize and use their own power to influence what happens next.Dr. Wendy M. Edmonds is Interim Chair of the Management, Marketing, and Public Administration Department in the College of Business at a Historically Black University and Co-Chair of the Global Followership Conference 2024. An internationally recognized researcher on toxic followership, she describes herself as a Workplace Toxicologist focused on understanding harmful patterns and creating more constructive ways of working together. Her teaching uses popular media and experiential role plays to help people examine leadership and followership choices.You’ll learn:How toxic workplace cultures develop and continue over time Why followers play a critical role in reinforcing or interrupting harmful leadership How people can recognize their own power even without formal authority What repeated destructive behavior reveals about toxic followership How classroom conversations and role play can change the way people understand power and responsibility Episode ReferencesCNN: Escape From Jonestownhttps://vimeo.com/244066619  S1 E8- Courageous Followers can Stop Destructive Leadership - Alain de Saleshttps://leadfollow.buzzsprout.com/1735834/8716279-courageous-followers-can-stop-destructive-leadership-alain-de-sales Time of Essence documentary - the story of Essence Magazinehttps://www.oprah.com/app/time-of-essence-full-episodes.html Self-made TV series – inspired by the life of Madame CJ Walkerhttps://www.netflix.com/title/80202462Intoxicating Followership, by Wendy M Edmondshttps://www.amazon.com/Intoxicating-Followership-Jonestown-Wendy-Edmonds/dp/1800714599Global Followership Conferencehttp://www.followershipconference.com Connect with Dr. Wendy M. Edmondshttps://www.drwendymedmonds.com/ Support the show*Sharna Fabiano is the author of Lead & Follow: The Dance of Inspired Teamwork and host of the Lead & Follow Podcast. She helps founders, solopreneurs, and new leaders build strong collaborative relationships and successful teams. Get a discounted coach session with Sharna with promo code PODCAST https://www.sharnafabiano.com/coaching/Order the book: Lead & Followhttps://www.amazon.com/Lead-Follow-Dance-Inspired-Teamwork/dp/1646632796/Support the Show!https://www.buzzsprout.com/1735834/support