The Science of Leadership

Tom Collins
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  • Management
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The Science of Leadership is the podcast for listeners who want to build their leadership capabilities, providing valuable knowledge, insightful perspectives, and inspiring stories from expert leaders across various fields. The episodes range from one-on-one interviews with experts to discussions between the host and co-host. All episodes are supported by the latest scientific research in leadership, psychology, and other pertinent fields. Whether you’re an aspiring business leader, a healthcare professional, a community leader, or someone passionate about personal growth, our podcast is designed to equip you with the skills and wisdom needed to lead with confidence and impact. Join us on this journey to become a better leader and make a difference in your world!

  1. 14h ago

    The Leader I Wanted to Be & The Leader I'm Becoming | Ep. 100 | The Science of Leadership

    When Dr. Tom Collins set out on his deliberate leadership journey in 2018, he had a specific vision in mind: becoming a superhero of leadership—someone with the strength of Thor, the tactical perfection to always know what to do, and the stamina to carry an organization on his back. Now, marking the landmark 100th episode of The Science of Leadership, Tom and long-time co-host Dr. Justin Hamrick step away from their traditional academic format to pull back the curtain on the actual reality of long-term personal development. They unpack the costly difference between pursuing real excellence and chasing an idealized "image" of excellence, revealing why genuine leadership maturity requires unlearning the hero complex. Reflecting on lessons gathered from interviewing 51 four-star generals and admirals, navigating executive authority, and shifting from task execution to genuine relational trust, Tom shares an honest, vulnerable assessment of where he has stumbled, the blind spots he still wrestles with, and the foundational principles that truly matter in the back nine of life. Key Discussion Points: The Superhero Trap: Why aspiring leaders fixate on idealized Marvel-like archetypes—and how social media distorts real leadership into an aesthetic rather than daily service. Excellence vs. The Image of Excellence: The vital branch point between wanting to be an effective leader for your people versus craving the status and accolades of being seen as a great leader. Kryptonite at the Pinnacle: What happened when Tom asked 51 four-star military leaders to name a lesson they learned the hard way—and why the most authentic commanders answered without hesitation: "All of them." Inviting Others Into Your Deficits: Why top executives must cultivate truth-tellers in their inner circle who have the courage and insight to highlight blind spots and mistakes in real time. The Relationship Foundation: Why leadership without trust and relational connection isn't leadership at all—it's merely coercion, compliance, or management. Task-Oriented vs. Relational Leadership: Tom’s personal reflection on shifting from checking boxes to building up people, and why no one's tombstone ever reads: "He finished his to-do list." The Core Takeaways of 100 Episodes: Remembering General Vince Brooks' True North: Leadership is never about personal glory or dusty trophies on a shelf—it is entirely about the led. "Leadership is not about becoming Thor. It is about building the trust and the relationships that help others do great things." Thank you to the global community of listeners across 6,500+ subscribers who have made the first 100 episodes possible. Here's to continuing the journey together.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/

  2. Oct 6

    When Leadership Changes You—for the Worse | Ep. 99 | The Science of Leadership

    What happens when succeeding in your leadership role requires you to become someone you don't recognize in the mirror? In this deeply reflective and philosophical episode of The Science of Leadership, co-hosts Dr. Tom Collins and Dr. Justin Hamrick tackle one of the hardest dilemmas in executive life: what to do when pressure, toxic cultures, or organizational constraints begin to degrade your personal character. Opening with a warning from General Peter Pace (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) that organizations will inevitably change you for better or worse, Tom and Justin explore why good leaders slowly adopt defensive, cynical, or authoritarian behaviors under stress. Moving from Viktor Frankl’s principle of response agency to the harsh reality of self-inflicted ego traps, this conversation breaks down the diagnostic framework leaders need to evaluate whether they should adapt, change the culture, or make the ultimate act of leadership: stepping aside. Key Discussion Points: The Concentric Circles Diagnostic: The Macro Context: Navigating external pressures like economic shifts, supply chains, and volatile regulatory environments that constrain your operational choices. The Organization: How downsizing, resource cuts, and misaligned incentives force leaders into a high-stress survival mode driven by the amygdala and fight-or-flight instincts. The People: The psychological toll of leading teams that lack capability or resist direction, and how irritation slowly replaces encouragement. The Self (Center Circle): Confronting the harsh ego check—admitting that while external pressures exist, how you choose to respond is entirely your responsibility. The Viktor Frankl Mirror: Drawing on Man’s Search for Meaning to remember that even when the macro environment, organization, and people are broken, the one thing within our control is our own response. The Tree Metaphor: The Reed vs. The Oak: Why reactive leaders bend and warp like reeds under shifting pressures, while truly grounded leaders remain consistent anchors when the waves crash against them. 3 Foundational Psychological Literatures: Self-Discrepancy Theory (E. Tory Higgins, 1987): The painful internal tension between who you actually are, who you idealize yourself to be, and who you believe you ought to be—and why that discomfort is a vital diagnostic signal. Person-Environment Fit Theory: Understanding that individual performance is tied to constitutional fit within a specific context, providing three real options: change the environment, change yourself, or leave the environment. Escalation of Commitment & Sunk Cost Fallacy (Joel Brockner, 1992): Why leaders persist in toxic arrangements because they’ve tied their pride, relocation, or public announcements to an endeavor that simply isn't working. The Acme of Leadership: Why recognizing that an organization needs a different skill set—and having the humility to walk away so the mission can succeed—is the highest form of leadership integrity, not failure. "Not every difficult environment is one that you are obligated to master. Sometimes the greatest leadership is the ability to set aside your ego and say: This team needs to succeed, and I am not the right person for this job."   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/

  3. Sep 22

    Leading in Messy Situations | Ep. 98 | The Science of Leadership

    In this episode of The Science of Leadership, host Dr. Tom Collins sits down with Daniel Atlin—strategic advisor, executive coach, adjunct professor, and host of the Messy with Daniel Atlin podcast. Drawing from three decades in senior leadership across higher education and government—as well as his Oxford Saïd and HEC Paris research interviewing 25 university presidents—Daniel unpacks how leaders navigate complexity through the science of sensemaking. Tom and Daniel break down why control is an illusion, how to avoid the dangerous trap of "premature closure," and why course-correcting along the way is not an admission of failure, but an essential leadership discipline. Key Discussion Points: The Two Levels of Sensemaking: Making Sense of Yourself: Uncovering inner triggers, imposter syndrome, and the "parrots on your shoulder" before walking into difficult rooms. Making Sense of the Organization: Building real-time dynamic maps, gathering signals, and telling a coherent story amid ambiguity. The "Premature Closure" Trap: Why rushing to action treats surface symptoms instead of root causes—and why leaders mistake immediate motion for effective progress. Why Leadership Is Inherently "Messy": Understanding complex institutions like universities and healthcare systems as living, evolving ecosystems rather than simple machines. Moving Beyond the "Main Character" Myth: How pop culture and social media have fostered solitary hero syndromes, when real organizational challenges require diverse coalitions and collective sensemaking. The 70–80% Rule & Dynamic Course Correction: How to know when you have enough data to act, why small directional pivots are normal, and how to stay connected with your team so you don't "get so far ahead of your troops you're mistaken for the enemy." "It is not the ability to control; it is the ability to adapt to the given circumstance. Course correction is not an admission of failure—it is part of the mess." Whether you are steering an enterprise through institutional change or managing daily team fires, this episode offers a grounded blueprint for leading with curiosity, patience, and clarity when there are no simple answers.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/   References Al Essa, A., Schmidt, H. G., Mamede, S., Knezevic, K., Zwaan, L., & Magzoub, M. (2026). Premature closure underlies bias in medical diagnosis in students: A randomised controlled experiment. Medical Education, 60(10):1102-1109. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.70229 Ancona, D., & Perkins, D. N. T. (2022). Family ghosts in the executive suite. Harvard Business Review, 100(1), 92–101. Dries, N., Pepermans, R., & Carlier, O. (2008). Career success: Constructing a multidimensional model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(2), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.05.005 Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books. Haidt, Jl, & Rausch, Z. (2026). Social media is harming adolescents at a scale large enough to cause changes at the population level. World Happiness Report, Chapter 3. https://doi.org/10.18724/whr-g490-bg86 Savickas, M. L. (2005). The theory and practice of career construction. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 42–70). John Wiley & Sons. Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011 Sun-Tzu. (2003). The Art of War (J. Minford, Ed.). Penguin Books. Welles, O. (Director). (1941). Citizen Kane [Film]. RKO Radio Pictures.

  4. Sep 1

    When It's Time to Let the Selfish High-Performer Go | Ep. 97 | The Science of Leadership

    What do you do when your highest-producing employee refuses to change? In the fifth and final installment of their five-part series on managing difficult personalities, The Science of Leadership hosts Tom Collins and Justin Hamrick tackle the most uncomfortable decision an executive or manager may ever face: terminating a toxic star. Using the high-profile ouster of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick in 2017—where unprecedented company growth collided with workplace bullying, harassment, and an investigation led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder—Tom and Justin explain why extraordinary individual output can become an existential threat to an organization's future. They deconstruct the myth of the "indispensable" worker, break down the hidden cost of managerial patience, and reveal why refusing to impose consequences on a toxic star is actually imposing consequences on everyone else. Key topics include: The Travis Kalanick Case Study: How a $68 billion valuation could not protect a founder once systemic toxicity, aggressive cultural norms, and lack of accountability threatened the company's survival. The "Two-Year" Clarity Test: Why leaders must stop operating on "terminal optimism" and ask: If nothing about their behavior changed over the next two years, would you knowingly choose two more years of this arrangement? The Sunk Cost Fallacy & Lou Gehrig Syndrome: How fear makes leaders artificially concentrate resources around one person—and how Wally Pipp losing his starting spot to Lou Gehrig proves that true team capability is rarely discovered until the star steps aside. Visible Costs vs. Hidden Costs: Why the immediate loss of a star's revenue or technical skill is concentrated and obvious, while the cost of keeping them (turnover, cynicism, withheld ideas, lost trust) is distributed and silent. 3 Landmark Behavioral Studies: The Viral Spread of Rudeness (Foulke et al.): How low-level workplace incivility acts like a virus, priming employees to treat innocent third parties with hostility. Organizational Justice (Colquitt et al.): A meta-analysis of 183 studies proving that perceived unfairness and double standards directly degrade employee trust, citizenship behavior, and job performance. Incivility and Turnover Intentions (Bajra & Amin et al.): Research demonstrating that when leaders tolerate toxic behavior, the entire team starts planning their exit. The Separation Blueprint: How to conduct a clear, time-bound performance improvement plan (PIP), measure whether coworkers actually experience behavioral change, and exit a toxic star with professional dignity without rewriting history. "A leader never walks past a problem. Leadership isn't about preserving the productivity of one person—it’s about creating the conditions for the entire organization to succeed and grow. Fairness does not mean giving one person unlimited opportunities to change while giving everyone else unlimited exposure to the consequences." Tune in to learn how to break out of the prison of star dependency, lead with institutional integrity, and protect the high-trust culture your team deserves.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/ References Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425–445. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425 Foulk, T., Woolum, A., & Erez, A. (2016). Catching rudeness is like catching a cold: The contagion effects of low-intensity negative behaviors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(1), 50–67. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000037 Namin, B. H., Øgaard, T., & Røislien, J. (2022). Workplace incivility and turnover intention in organizations: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010025

  5. Aug 25

    Can a Selfish High Performer Change? | Ep. 96 | The Science of Leadership

    Can a selfish, high-output employee actually change their ways, or is leadership just wasting time hoping for a transformation that will never happen? In Part Four of this five-part series on managing difficult personalities, The Science of Leadership hosts Tom Collins and Justin Hamrick examine what it really takes for a toxic high performer to evolve. Using Michael Jordan’s pivotal transformation under head coach Phil Jackson during the Chicago Bulls' championship dynasty, Tom and Justin illustrate how great leaders help elite individual performers transition from "me" to "we" without diminishing their competitive fire or high standards. They break down why feedback is merely information—not transformation—and how true change requires genuine self-insight, acknowledging blind spots, and accepting that individual brilliance means nothing if the team cannot win. Key topics include: The Michael Jordan & Triangle Offense Blueprint: How Phil Jackson helped the NBA's most dominant scorer pass the ball to John Paxson, trust his teammates, and win six championships. Feedback vs. Insight: Why giving someone data or performance metrics is not the same as helping them develop the internal self-awareness required to change. Intent vs. Impact: How high performers often view themselves as "driven" or "efficient" while their colleagues experience them as controlling, dismissive, and credit-seeking. 3 Landmark Behavioral Studies: Self-Other Rating Discrepancies (Atwater et al.): How making the gap between a leader's self-perception and follower feedback visible creates the first opening for real growth. The Upward Feedback Experiment (Atwater et al.): Proving that feedback alone does not improve leadership unless the recipient actively takes constructive steps to act on it. Meta-Analysis on Executive Coaching (Theeboom / De Haan et al.): The measurable impact of executive coaching on behavioral outcomes, resilience, and goal attainment. The Leader's Action Framework: How to deliver clear, behavioral feedback without triggering immediate defensiveness or attacking character. Why leaders must avoid the "retreating sandwich" and hold their ground when difficult stars push back. The Two Paths: When to invest in 360 evaluations and coaching versus when to initiate a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) or separation. "Feedback is information, not transformation. The goal isn’t to make your high performer less ambitious or productive—it’s to remove the way their individual brilliance is limiting everyone else." Tune in to learn how to guide self-aware high performers toward sustainable team collaboration—and how to recognize when patience has simply become executive avoidance.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/ REFERENCES Atwater, L., Roush, P., & Fischthal, A. (1995). The influence of upward feedback on self- and follower ratings of leadership. Personnel Psychology, 48(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01745.x Atwater, L. E., Waldman, D. A., Atwater, D., & Cartier, P. (2000). An upward feedback field experiment: Supervisors’ cynicism, reactions, and commitment to subordinates. Personnel Psychology, 53(2), 275–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00202.x Nicolau, A., Candel, O. S., Constantin, T., & Kleingeld, A. (2023). The effects of executive coaching on behaviors, attitudes, and personal characteristics: A meta-analysis of randomized control trial studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1089797. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1089797

  6. Aug 18

    What Happens When You Reward Toxic Stars | Ep. 95 | The Science of Leadership

    When leadership repeatedly celebrates and protects a toxic star producer, what lesson does everyone else in the room learn? In Part Three of this five-part series on managing difficult personalities, The Science of Leadership hosts Dr. Tom Collins and Dr. Justin Hamrick explore how organizational reward systems shape workplace culture and drive employee behavior. Using the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service cycling team, Tom and Justin illustrate how an obsession with winning can normalize corrupt methods and toxic conduct. When leaders look the other way because results are high, they send a clear, unintended message: this is how you succeed here. They explore why collaborative employees stop going above and beyond when they feel like "suckers," why teams adapt to lower behavioral baselines, and how leaders can reset organizational standards before the entire culture erodes. Key topics include: The Lance Armstrong Lesson: How rewarding victories while ignoring the methods created a culture of complicity, fear, and eventual structural collapse. Espoused Values vs. Enacted Values: Why mission statements and posters on the wall mean nothing when day-to-day promotions reward selfish behavior. The "Sucker" Effect & Cultural Regression: Why collaborative workers disengage, stop sharing ideas, and adapt to self-focused behavior when they see selfish stars rewarded. 3 Landmark Behavioral Studies: Ethical Decision Making (Ashkanasy et al.): How organizational rewards and punishments signal acceptable conduct to managers. Social Learning Theory (Brown et al.): How ethical leadership directly impacts employee trust, dedication, and problem reporting. Self-Focused Climates (Biron-Graeber et al.): Proving that counterproductive behaviors among managers weaken ethical systems and create self-interested workplaces. The "Now What?" Action Plan: A 3-step blueprint to address high performers without dismissing their measurable achievements, hold your ground against egocentric pushback, and tie future promotions directly to how much they elevate their team. "Culture isn't created by what we print on the wall. It’s what we live out, what we tolerate, and what we reward. When selfishness is rewarded, everyone learns: this is how we do things around here." Tune in to discover how to align your lived values with your organizational expectations, protect psychological safety, and turn high-producing individuals from a disruptive force into team builders.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/ References   Ashkanasy, N. M., Windsor, C. A., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Bad apples in bad barrels revisited: Cognitive moral development, just world beliefs, rewards, and ethical decision-making. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16(4), 449–473. https://doi.org/10.5840/beq200616447   Bellora-Bienengräber, L., Radtke, R. R., & Widener, S. K. (2022). Counterproductive work behaviors and work climate: The role of an ethically focused management control system and peers’ self-focused behavior. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 96, Article 101275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2021.101275   Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.00

  7. Aug 11

    Do You Want to Go Fast or Go Far? | Ep. 94 | The Science of Leadership

    When an organization relies on a toxic star player to win, what message does that send to the rest of the team? In Part Two of this five-part series on managing difficult personalities, The Science of Leadership hosts Dr. Tom Collins and Dr. Justin Hamrick tackle the hidden organizational cost of endorsing, protecting, and promoting the selfish high performer. Using the controversial career of MLB legend Barry Bonds and his infamous "four-locker" setup with the San Francisco Giants, Tom and Justin explore the difference between short-term speed and long-term capability. They reveal why showering a selfish worker with special privileges, extra staffing, and zero accountability might accelerate individual output, but ultimately destroys collective trust and creates a dangerous single point of failure. Key topics include: The Barry Bonds Bargain: Examining how the Giants accommodated 73 home runs with four lockers, a leather recliner, and a private entourage—and why individual milestones failed to yield a World Series ring during that era. The Amplification Effect: Why giving extra funding, space, and protection to a collaborative leader builds the team, but giving those same resources to a selfish high performer only deepens organizational dependency. Actions vs. Values: Why employee behavior is driven by what leaders reward and protect—not by slogans printed on a mission statement. 3 Key Research Insights: The Security Analyst Study (Groysberg et al.): Proving that star performance rarely transfers to new firms without the underlying system, relationships, and support staff. Collective Intelligence (Woolley et al.): Demonstrating that high-performing teams depend on equal participation and social sensitivity rather than having one genius in the room. The Shadow of the Star (Zhao et al.): Revealing how star players trigger entitlement and counterproductive behavior in high-performing peers working near them. Reframing Support: A 2-step blueprint to attach concrete institutional expectations to every resource allocated to a star worker. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. When you make exceptions for a star player, you aren't just rewarding output—you are telling your entire organization what success actually looks like." Tune in to learn how to break the cycle of star dependency, protect your team's collective capabilities, and ensure your organizational investments elevate every boat in the harbor.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you.   Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/ REFERENCES Groysberg, B., Lee, L.-E., & Nanda, A. (2008). Can they take it with them? The portability of star knowledge workers’ performance. Management Science, 54(7), 1213–1230. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1070.0809 Woolley, A. W., Chabris, C. F., Pentland, A., Hashmi, N., & Malone, T. W. (2010). Evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the performance of human groups. Science, 330(6004), 686–688. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1193147 Zhou, J., Li, N., Xu, S., & Chi, W. (2025). High performers in the shadow: The adverse effect of star employees on their peers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 110(6), 776–797. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001254

  8. Aug 4

    The Cost of the Selfish High Performer | Ep. 93 | The Science of Leadership

    In this foundational kickoff to a five-part series on managing difficult workplace personalities, The Science of Leadership hosts Dr. Tom Collins and Dr. Justin Hamrick confront one of the most complex challenges a manager will ever face: the highly productive, selfish team member. These are the "prima donnas" and high-volume producers who deliver undeniable individual numbers—sales, publications, patient volume, or touchdowns—while quietly corroding the culture and performance of the system around them. Drawing on the legendary NFL case study of NFL Hall-of-Famer Terrell Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles, Tom and Justin unpack the "squeeze vs. the juice" dilemma and demonstrate why visible metrics often hide a devastating net loss for the broader team. Key topics include: Individual Production vs. Organizational Productivity: Why a high performer who generates 200% output can still cause an overall net loss if their behavior reduces the output of those around them by even 15%. The "Prima Donna" Bias: How organizations develop a protective blind spot for top producers, mislabeling toxic behavior as "high standards" or "focus on excellence." The Psychological Safety Trap for Leaders: Why frontline managers often feel powerless to discipline a selfish high performer because C-suite executives evaluate talent strictly through surface-level financial dashboards and rankings. 3 Landmark Behavioral Studies: Harvard Business School (Housman & Miner): Proving that avoiding one toxic worker is worth more than twice as much as hiring a top 1% producer. NICU Resuscitation Study (Riskin et al.): Demonstrating how mild interpersonal rudeness directly degrades technical performance, diagnostic accuracy, and life-saving procedures. The Toleration Study (Quade et al.): Showing how organizations systematically overlook unethical behavior when output remains high. Shifting the Unit of Analysis: A practical, step-by-step framework to audit the ripple costs of a toxic worker, confront specific behaviors without attacking character, and raise the organizational baseline. "A dashboard can show revenue, publications, or sales, but it won't show the people who stopped asking for help, the colleagues who learned to work around a toxic teammate, or the talented staff who quietly left the organization." Tune in to discover how to measure the true performance of your system, protect your group's psychological safety, and transform your workplace standard from simply "producing a lot" to making everyone around you better.   Also, I want to remind listeners to checkout my book, my latest book, "The Four Stars of Leadership Development Guide," whether used individually or as part of a group or cohort, this guide is built for leaders and emerging leaders who want more than ideas. If you are looking for a practical way to become more trustworthy, more credible, and more effective as a leader, this guide was written for you. Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me! Sharpen your leadership skills: Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app to ensure you don't miss an episode dedicated to helping you become a better leader. To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/ References Housman, M., & Minor, D. (2015). Toxic workers (Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 16-057). Harvard Business School. https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/16-057_d45c0b4f-fa19-49de-8f1b-4b12fe054fea.pdf Quade, M. J., Greenbaum, R. L., & Petrenko, O. V. (2017). “I don’t want to be near you, unless…”: The interactive effect of unethical behavior and performance onto relationship conflict and workplace ostracism. Personnel Psychology, 70(3), 675–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12164 Riskin, A., Erez, A., Foulk, T. A., Kugelman, A., Gover, A., Shoris, I., Riskin, K. S., & Bamberger, P. A. (2015). The impact of rudeness on medical team performance: A randomized trial. Pediatrics, 136(3), 487–495. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-1385

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The Science of Leadership is the podcast for listeners who want to build their leadership capabilities, providing valuable knowledge, insightful perspectives, and inspiring stories from expert leaders across various fields. The episodes range from one-on-one interviews with experts to discussions between the host and co-host. All episodes are supported by the latest scientific research in leadership, psychology, and other pertinent fields. Whether you’re an aspiring business leader, a healthcare professional, a community leader, or someone passionate about personal growth, our podcast is designed to equip you with the skills and wisdom needed to lead with confidence and impact. Join us on this journey to become a better leader and make a difference in your world!

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  • Creator
    Tom Collins
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Science of Leadership

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