Toxic Leadership in Media: The Brash Bully and the Egocentric Pretender

This project features a comparative analysis of two characters who demonstrate toxic leadership in unique ways. Sue Sylvester is the cheerleading coach from the show Glee. She is cruel, dominating, and paranoid. Ava Coleman is an elementary school principal on the show Abbott Elementary. Ava is incompetent, self-absorbed, and exhibits various inappropriate behaviors. In efforts to analyze their behaviors that contrast with those of an ideal leader, I view the characters through a scope of influence, power, identity, and follower relations, based on modern leadership concepts from “The New Psychology of Leadership” (Haslam et al., 2020). Sue’s style of leadership is characterized by power-over dynamics. While Sue has some influence over the cheerleaders, she does not have power over the funding allocated for school activities. When her squad’s funds are cut short due to the creation of the Glee club, Sue sets her sights on destroying them. In her efforts, she uses resources, power, and manipulation to advance her agenda and cuts down anyone who gets in her way. Ava Coleman is a unique individual who blackmailed her way into the position of principal. Ava is often selfish, disregarding the needs of her staff and students to fulfill her desires. Ava misappropriates resources, uses her power to avoid her responsibilities, and does not support her staff. Both characters resist the idea of a shared identity with their followers. Sue is too paranoid and has a victim mentality and trusts no one, while Ava thrives on being unique and despises the idea of being seen as a “nerd”, as she calls her staff members.