The Psychology of Power: Why Good People Become Bad Leaders | Episode 163

The Psychology of Power: Why Good People Become Bad Leaders | Episode 163

From The Dirty Side of Leadership by Ron Ward & Kristin Sokoloff

June 4, 2026 · 46 min · Season 2 · Episode 163

About this episode

This episode explores how power influences leadership decisions and the psychological implications of authority.

Send us Fan Mail Power is one of the most influential—and dangerous—forces in leadership. In this episode, Ron and Kristin examine how authority affects human behavior, why even good people can make poor leadership decisions, and what history, psychology, and neuroscience teach us about the responsibility that comes with influence. The discussion explores the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, where ordinary college students were randomly assigned the roles of guards and prisoners. Within da...

People in this episode

Hosts: Ron Ward, Kristin Sokoloff

Topics covered

  • power dynamics
  • leadership
  • psychology
  • authority
  • human behavior

Keywords

  • leadership
  • psychology
  • power
  • Stanford Prison Experiment
  • human behavior
  • authority
  • decision making

More episodes of The Dirty Side of Leadership

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Dirty Side of Leadership podcast page.