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John Mattone Global
Mainline Executive Coaching ACT Podcast
Episode 356November 1, 2025

356: The Narcissism Tax: What Selfish Leaders Cost Their Teams

Rich BaronMaikel Bailey
Rich Baron & Maikel Bailey

Episode Notes

How often have you felt like "ME" replaced "WE" in your organization? If this is you, you are not alone.

In today’s episode — “The Narcissism Tax: What Selfish Leaders Cost Their Teams” — we’re unpacking one of the most destructive yet overlooked forces in organizations: self-interested leadership.

When a leader’s ego takes the driver’s seat, the whole organization pays the price — in disengagement, lost trust, stalled innovation, and the quiet exit of great people. We’ll explore how narcissistic or self-serving behavior shows up in subtle ways, why it erodes psychological safety, and what truly healthy leadership looks like instead.

Because every act of selfishness at the top carries a hidden tax — one that’s paid by the culture, the team, and ultimately, the bottom line.

Join Rich and Maikel as we uncover the real cost of narcissistic, self-serving leadership in this episode of Mainline Executive Coaching ACT.

Leaders, Lead Well!

Thank you to all of our listeners in over 100 countries and now, 1,000 cities worldwide, we greatly appreciate your support! We truly hope that what we bring to our listeners will improve your ability as leaders.

Mainline Executive Coaching ACT has been recognized by FeedSpot as one of the top Executive Coaching Podcast in the world based on thousands of podcasts on the web and ranked by traffic, social media, followers & freshness.

John Mattone Global: https://johnmattone.com/

About the Hosts

Rich Baron

Rich Baron

Chief Operating Officer & Master Certified IL Coach

Master Certified IL Executive Coach, Lean Six Sigma, 100% Customer Retention (2006-2019)

As JMG's Chief Operating Officer and a Master Certified Intelligent Leadership Executive Coach, Rich brings diverse expertise in cultural transformation, operational leadership, and coaching leaders from emerging talent to CEOs.

Maikel Bailey

Maikel Bailey

Master Certified IL Executive Coach

Master Certified IL Executive Coach

Maikel Bailey is a Master Certified Intelligent Leadership Executive Coach with extensive experience in executive leadership, cultural transformation, and emerging leader development.

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