Elon Musk and Donald Trump are normalizing toxicity across Britain - we must demand better
6 June 2025, 13:31
Elon Musk and Donald Trump are normalizing toxicity across corporate Britain.
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Last week, I was coaching a senior executive who broke down in tears during our conversation. Not because of personal tragedy, but because her CEO's leadership style had created such a toxic environment that this accomplished professional felt worthless. This isn't isolated. Every week I receive emails from people asking how to deal with their authoritarian boss.
We're witnessing this same destructive pattern on the world's biggest stages through Donald Trump and Elon Musk. My analysis of both leaders reveals a troubling truth: their approach isn't just damaging their organisations, it's normalising toxicity across corporate Britain.
Studying Leadership Styles
When I scored Trump and Musk using my own framework called LACE (Listening, Accountability, Collaboration, Empathy), the results were stark. Both leaders consistently fail at least three of the four pillars that define effective leadership.
Trump's accountability score was practically zero. He's happy to accept responsibility when things go well but lightning quick to blame others when they don't. Musk, despite his innovation credentials, shows similar patterns; unjustifiably humiliating an X employee on the platform, making unilateral decisions that devastate teams, and showing no empathy for real people behind his DOGE cuts.
The listening piece is equally concerning. True listening means being open to others' opinions and creating psychological safety. Instead, both leaders weaponise blame, talk over, ignore or insult people who hold alternative viewpoints, and create cultures where people are terrified to speak truth to power.
The Real-World Damage
These rampant egos create a bigger problem: the ripple effect. When high-profile leaders normalise fear-based tactics, it gives permission for toxic behaviour throughout organisations. It attacks inclusivity, stifles creativity, and leads to low-performance cultures.
In short, it's organisational vandalism.
Google's Project Aristotle proves psychological safety is the number one predictor of team performance. Fear-based leadership destroys this foundation, creating environments where innovation dies and talent flees.
The Love-Based Alternative
The antidote isn't complicated, it's loving leadership. Not soft leadership, but strong leadership rooted in genuine care for people's growth and wellbeing.
When leaders truly listen, hold themselves accountable, collaborate authentically, and lead with empathy, extraordinary things happen. Teams become unstoppable. Innovation flourishes. People thrive.
I trained AI to assess public leaders against the LACE framework, proving unequivocally that you can build successful organisations whilst caring for people. Leaders like Sara Blakely (Spanx), Richard Branson (Virgin), Ed Bastian (Delta Airlines), and Satya Nadella (Microsoft) all scored highly. When leaders choose love over fear, they don't just change their organisations, they change lives.
The Choice Before Us
Every leader faces this choice daily: Will you lead through fear or love? The Trump-Musk model might grab headlines, but it's leaving a trail of broken people and damaged organisations.
It's time we demanded better. Not just from our politicians and tech billionaires, but from ourselves.
Because the world needs change makers, not soul breakers.
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Simon Phillips is a leadership expert, founder of The Change Maker Group, and host of The Change Show.
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The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.
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