If things are going well, the organizational culture is usually harmonious.  If not, then it’s not.  As Richard Branson recently wrote, “There’s no right or wrong way to go about creating a company culture, as long as you keep the staff that it’s designed for in mind every step of the way.”

Unless you don’t, of course.

Nonprofit leaders that seek knowledge, challenge their co-workers to wrestle with ideas rather than to rubber-stamp them – these people are golden.  These people inspire the best in their communities.  Their vision is not their own, but that of a collective.

Those who seek sycophancy, encouraged by well-meaning boards to behave autocratically – these people are leaden.  They have no ability to rally, only to bully.  Sadly, but inevitably, these folks excel at leading organizations straight into a toxic dump of irrelevance.