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Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures

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In this revised edition of "Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership" authors, Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima reflect on what they have experienced and observed in Christian leadership during the ten years since the first edition was first published. Gary and Sam both share from the conflict in their own personal experiences which brought them to a place of recognizing their personal dysfunction and the importance of taking proactive steps in their journey of self discovery, healing and fulfillment..

Part one of the book helps the reader understand more fully what the dark side of personality is and how it develops. Part two deals with discovery of the dark side of leadership the reader may be dealing with personally. Part three discusses overcoming the dark side and offers a five-step plan for accomplishing this.

Additional chapters have been included to cover topics such as: The dangers of the dark side, and the process of spiritual composting. The appendix has been expanded by adding a section to help the reader identify their dark side.

Examples from the failures of Biblical and contemporary Christian leaders are used to illustrate various dysfunctions in the leadership styles of the compulsive leader, the narcissistic leader, the paranoid leader, the codependent leader, and the passive-aggressive leader.

I found the "targeting insights," and "applying insights" featured at the end of each chapter to be practical and helpful tools for self discovery.

This edition of "Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership" has a new subtitle which offers new help to the reader, "How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures. By melding relevant and significant information with proactive steps for today's Christian leaders, Gary L. McIntosh and Samuel D. Rima help their readers avoid the risks and consequences of making untimely devastating decisions that would taint the effectiveness of their personal testimony and the reputations of the Christian church.

McIntosh and Rima have provided an opportunity for every leader to discover their dark side - that hidden part of their personality that may explain their drive to lead.

They explain that our motivations may come from the desire to satisfy unmet needs and existential debts, and that significant experiences may cause us to have particularly strong drives that never seem to get satisfied. These strong drives may push us beyond outstanding leadership, to leadership failure that negatively affects others as well as ourselves if we do not recognize, harness, and transform our drives. It is a process of discovery, of bringing what is hidden into the light of awareness and understanding. Finally, we can overcome our dark side through God's grace and a new understanding of our identity and value that does not depend on performance and achievement, freeing and transforming our leadership.

A very worthwhile read, especially, if one takes the journey of self-discovery in the process.

I am a student at the doctoral level and Dr. McIntosh book was a required text. It really hit home, I could not stop reading until almost half way, It was a forced break. It is easy to read, and put me face to face with my dark side. As a plus Dr. McIntosh was a guess professor at my seminary, and I had the opportunity to have lunch with him, and have him sign my book. It was an uplifting experience hear him to share how he overcame his dark side.
Noah Angel
Jefferson City, Mo.

This is a very challenging and informative book for those who seek to be in leadership, especially Christian leadership. KNOW YOUR WEAKNESSES, AND DEAL WITH THEM HONESTLY AND APPROPRIATELY. It was required reading for a Christian Leadership class at the Bible college that I attend. It made me do a bit of self-examination and caused some introspection. That's what the purpose of the book is, to provoke thought. The purchase through Amazon.com was great as usual and the book was excellent. I enthusiastically recommend both.

I feel Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership is a must read for all leaders, teachers, and parents. It is vital to any leader's career or ministry that he or she is able to overcome the dark side of their personality if they are going to be effective in what God has called them to do. This book encourages leaders to deals openly, directly, and biblically with their dark side. I would recommend this book personally to any one who is considering working in ministry.


This book equips and gives valuable guidance in dealing with the inherent risks of leading others. It will help you gain the self-knowledge that is necessary to overcome your dark side. The book brings out points that make you aware of what motivates you. There are also personal inventory quizzes that are found in this book that will help leaders assess their "dark side" characteristics. This book would be a great asset to any leader's library if they read it and take the steps necessary to overcome their dark side.


Encourager Linda Flagg, LM, CS
Christian Life Coach & Youth Minister

Gary L McIntosh and Samuel D Rima, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures (Grand Rapids, Baker 2007)
Review by Darren Cronshaw. Submitted for publication to Witness: The Voice of Victorian Baptists, Vol.91, No.3 (Submitted for April 2011) 21.

Among Baptist pastors and churches, we have realised our need for clear frameworks for practising ethical ministry and ongoing professional development. The price for unhealthy and unethical ministry is too high.
Leadership failures often emerge from similar underlying issues, and sadly many leaders are not aware of these dark sides of their personality. Understanding these issues, and not allowing them to blindside our ministry, is the responsibility of every leader.
We get a glimpse of dysfunction in our drive to succeed, perfectionism, controlling nature, desire for acceptance and approval or our irrational fears. But what dysfunction do these patterns signal and what can we do about them?
Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership is a tonic of self-awareness. It explains the darkness of compulsions and dysfunctions and helps us redeem the darkness in our personality and what drives us. The book is full of extended biblical and contemporary stories of leaders in church, business and politics. It is worth the price for the survey that points to the degree of each of five particular leadership dysfunctions:
* The compulsive leader who has to maintain order and impress others with diligence
* The narcissistic leader who need attention and awareness of their importance
* The paranoid leader who is insecurely suspicious, jealous and controlling
* The codependent leader who represses emotions and smooths over problems
* The passive-aggressive leader who fears failure and so resists enthusiastic effort (and then emotionally storms in frustration).
The dilemma is that some of these things are what drive us to succeed, but unexamined they can undermine all we do. Sue Grafton, who writes novels about dark characters, suggests "we all need to look into the dark side of our nature - that's where the energy is, the passion. People are afraid of it because it holds pieces of us we're busy denying." (169)
McIntosh and Rima suggest that overcoming darkness in leadership begins with acknowledging it and being aware of how we are formed (and malformed). They invite leaders to resist the weight of expectations and practice grace towards ourselves. And they urge us to develop our inner lives and become more self-aware and confident of who we are in Christ.
This book is highly recommended for all pastors and leaders, and for those who care about them.

Darren coordinates leadership training with the Baptist Union of Victoria and pastors Auburn Baptist Church.

This is one of the best books ever. It is a must for both new and seasoned leaders. We must be able to conquer ourselves and this books helps with that.

I was very impressed with this book. it was extremely well written. The stories were not superficial but real, detailed, and hard-hitting. I highly recommend it. I was impressed with how the authors revealed their own dark sides in the beginning.
One reviewer laments the lack of "sin" language when describing the "dark side" and there is a measure of truth to this analysis (as well as the lack of talk of demonic activity). HOWEVER, I attribute this to the author's focus. In other words, great authors and great books focus on particular themes. This great book focused on the inner psychological sides that unknowingly drive all of us--often because of past hurt. These issues are part of the FALL OF MAN, and I feel the authors clearly articulated that.

McIntosh and Rima might claim that my generally negative response to their book originates within my own `dark side', and to their credit they have led me to (again) reflect on my own critical tendencies. However, after acknowledging a general impatience with this literary genre, there is much to criticize in this text. Even assuming that the target reader is educated in basic theology, the disregard shown by the authors for some basic principles is surprising.

For instance, McIntosh and Rima fail to distinguish (or to even seriously address) dysfunctional behavior versus sin. Certainly all psychological dysfunction is a result of a fallen creation, but one can persuasively argue that sin is a more particular subset of dysfunction involving moral failure. In their many real life examples the authors treat moral failures and more general socio-psychological maladjustments equally as illustrations of their thesis. It seems implicit in their point of view that "nurture" plays a far greater role than "nature" - perhaps this is due to the fact that there would be no useful action to recommend if the real issue is fallen human nature, save to recognize God as our only hope. Of course, that would result in a very different text, of lesser current demand than leadership books. If one analogizes the authors' chosen thesis as a hammer, then every human failure looks like a nail.

Biblical characters do not escape the authors' speculative analysis. Moses, Solomon, and Saul of Tarsus all exhibit presumed dark sides that lead to their various failures. At best such examples do not advance the authors' point: at worst they are reminiscent of liberal theology's attacks on scripture. Aside from the rather scant evidence cited in those examples, if we continue the applications to other biblical characters the weakness of such conclusions becomes more apparent. For instance, did the failure of Adam and Eve before the Fall result from a dark side? Was Judas acting out of some unacknowledged need for control? What about Jesus' displays of temper? Since there are plenty of modern examples of moral failures and general bad behavior in among God's people, one wishes that they had left these cases alone.

Concluding on a more positive note, the chapter questions and appendices contain useful tools and exercises to aid in personal reflection. Such tools are value neutral and can be used to good effect. Given that God is sovereign and chooses to work through fallen human beings (and their methods), these tools can help identify areas that need attention. My own cynical approach to this kind of book may be one immediate case in point.