What Happens When Leaders Stop Letting Others Lead

We live in a time when democracy should mean debate, dialogue, and dissent. Yet, more often than not, we see self-obsessed leaders turning systems into personal empires. What happens when leaders stop grooming successors and start worshipping their own reflections? Here’s a reflection on power, ego, and the silent collapse of institutions.

When Power Consumes Itself: The Anatomy of Modern Megalomania

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” wrote Lord Acton in 1887 — a truth that continues to haunt democracies across the world even today.

Where parliaments and offices should have been filled with debate and dissent, we now find a disturbing parade of megalomaniacs — self-proclaimed saviours of systems who make everything about themselves: their ideas, their interests, their friends, and their loyal followers.

They take on the air of godfathers and godmothers — mentoring the next generation of leaders only to ensure those successors remain indebted, loyal, and conveniently non-threatening. It’s a leadership model that replicates itself endlessly, leaving little room for merit or fresh vision.

And yet, in this cycle of control, there remains a faint glimmer of hope: some leaders at least believe in grooming a second rung — a rare gesture that hints at institutional continuity.

But the darker breed of leadership thrives on narcissism. These are leaders who cannot imagine a world without themselves. They see only their own reflection in every mirror, every meeting, every success. They are incapable of picturing a future where someone else could lead better, think differently, or challenge their version of perfection.

These are the leaders who patronize the meek and punish the confident. They surround themselves with silence — not because no one has something to say, but because everyone has learned that speaking up is dangerous. The competent, the creative, the self-assured are quietly marked as threats.

When such individuals dare to excel, the megalomaniac sees not brilliance but betrayal — “How dare they shine in my presence?” Excellence, instead of being celebrated, becomes an act of rebellion.

In time, the self-assured withdraw. Not out of defeat, but out of wisdom. They refuse to participate in the theatre of ego. They know that power built on fear eventually implodes.

For every night, there is a dawn; for every winter, a spring. They wait for that spring — a time when merit, not manipulation, will steer the system again.

Meanwhile, the megalomaniac, intoxicated by adoration and illusion, continues to crash the very system they claim to protect. By surrounding themselves with sycophants — those whose only talent is flattery — they hollow out the institution from within. When such leaders fall, they leave behind no legacy, only debris. The organization or democracy they led becomes vulnerable to corruption, chaos, or takeover by opportunists.

Ultimately, it is not only the loud tyrants but also the quiet, unquestioned figures of authority who damage systems—each in their own, deeply power-obsessed ways. Their love of self blinds them to the future — and their refusal to share power ensures that no one else can carry the torch forward.

So yes, Lord Acton was right — but with a 21st-century twist.

Today, power doesn’t just corrupt; it consumes itself.