The Ripple Effect of Leadership

How Virtual Work is Shaping Global Leadership & Amplifying Poor Behaviours

Have you ever watched a leader at the top of their game, charismatic, visionary and inspiring, only to notice how their behaviours ripple through their organisation, shaping how thousands of others act? Now imagine the opposite: a leader who is blinkered, reactive and task-focused, unknowingly setting the tone for a workforce that simply copies rather than critically thinks.

The Shift in Managerial Behavior

A recent study, The Blinkered Boss (Birkinshaw, Gudka, & D’Amato, 2021), found that managers in virtual environments have become

• More efficient with tasks
• More inward-focused, losing relational skills
• Less effective at developing employees

These behaviours at the managerial level mirror what is happening on the global stage, where leaders of nations and corporations encourage copycat behaviours instead of fostering independent, critical thought. The result? A world filled with passive followers rather than proactive, creative thinkers.

From Visionary Leadership to Reactive Management

The study highlights that many managers, in a virtual setting, become task-driven at the expense of relationship-building. But isn’t this also what we see in world leaders today?

• Reactive leadership: Focused on short-term wins, approval ratings and damage control
• Disconnected from people: Losing touch with the realities of their teams and citizens
• Encouraging conformity: Discouraging questioning and curiosity in favour of rigid control

Instead of inspiring new ideas and problem-solving, many leaders today reinforce hierarchy, authority and blind conformity.

The Copycat Syndrome: How Bad Leadership Spreads

One of the greatest dangers of poor leadership is what I call ‘The copycat syndrome’; where individuals simply mirror the behaviours of those above them instead of thinking critically.

When a leader:

• Micromanages instead of empowering, employees learn to wait for instructions rather than take initiative
• Avoids feedback and difficult conversations, managers below them do the same, weakening communication
• Focuses on control rather than collaboration, organisations become bureaucratic and resistant to change

At a global level, this means:

• Leaders who spread misinformation create citizens who stop questioning reality
• Leaders who act on personal ego encourage a culture of power over people
• Leaders who suppress creativity and play lead societies and businesses into stagnation

The biggest problem? Many leaders don’t realise the full impact of their actions.

What We Need: Leaders Who Foster Creative and Critical Thinking and Curiosity

If poor leadership amplifies thoughtless imitation, then the solution is clear: we need leaders who actively encourage creativity and independent thinking.

1. Curious leaders who say, “I don’t know, let’s explore together,” rather than pretending to have all the answers

1. Empowering leaders who challenge their teams and citizens to think for themselves instead of just following orders

1. Adaptable leaders who embrace change and continuously learn rather than resist new perspectives

The Future of Leadership in a Virtual-First World

Virtual work, AI and automation are reshaping how we lead and make decisions. If we allow these changes to be shaped by poor leadership habits, we risk a future where:

• Critical thinking is lost
• Human connection is diminished
• Society becomes a mass of passive followers instead of independent minds

To prevent this, we need leaders who:

• Encourage play, curiosity and lifelong learning
• Model self-awareness, emotional intelligence and critical thinking
• Inspire independent thinking rather than blind conformity

The study The Blinkered Boss is a wake-up call for corporate managers and leaders at every level. Leadership is not just about getting things done; it’s about shaping how others think, act and lead themselves.

Who do you want to be? It’s time to choose.

Sources:
Birkinshaw, J., Gudka, M., & D’Amato, V. (2021). The Blinkered Boss: How Has Managerial Behavior Changed with the Shift to Virtual Working? California Management Review, Vol. 63(4), 5–26.