Feeling proud but guilty? Unpacking the paradoxical nature of authoritarian leadership behavior on leaders themselves

Purpose Drawing on theory of self-conscious emotions, this research aims to advance the current understanding of authoritarian leadership by examining its effect on leaders' work engagement and emotional exhaustion through pride and guilt, and the boundary condition under which these effects occur. Design/methodology/approach This study employed an experience sampling method and analyzed 743 observations from 88 supervisors. Findings The results highlight the paradoxical nature of authoritarian leadership behavior for leaders themselves. Specifically, authoritarian leadership can simultaneously elicit feelings of pride and guilt in leaders, which subsequently lead to divergent outcomes: pride enhances leaders' work engagement, whereas guilt increases their emotional exhaustion. Moreover, the positive indirect relationship between authoritarian leadership and work engagement through pride is strengthened when leader Machiavellianism is high. Originality/value By examining authoritarian leadership as a daily behavior and diverging from the recipient-centric perspective, this study highlights its paradoxical effects on leaders themselves, thereby contributing to the authoritarian leadership and emotion literature.