Dr Mary-Clare Race discusses the importance of addressing leadership derailment, rather than overlooking it.
Having grown up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, Dr Mary-Clare Race, the CEO of organisational coaching and consulting firm Talking Talent, had a fascination for “why people do the things that they do”, from an early age.
“I also was lucky to grow up in a home where my parents were foster carers,” Race told SiliconRepublic.com. “We had around 20 children come through our home while I lived there and again this really influenced my interest in human behaviour, what motivates people and how environment shapes growth and wellbeing.”
Over time, her interests led to an education and eventual career in social psychology. Her PhD focused largely on leadership success factors particularly in the area of how and why leaders find their careers derailing. “I kept seeing the same pattern,” she explained. “Talented leaders, under huge pressure, struggling to create environments where everyone feels valued.”
Not through any lack of talent or purpose, she noted, but because they lacked the awareness, support and balance needed to thrive long-term.
Modern challenges
Race is of the opinion that a large degree of leaders derail at some point in their career, not necessarily due to any kind of scandal, controversy or even forms of societal collapse, but because of internal factors and struggles.
“Sometimes it’s a slow plateau, a sense of burnout, disengagement, or simply not fulfilling your potential. Other times it can look much more visible, for example, erratic decision-making, risk-taking, emotional outbursts, or even bullying behaviour.
Often driven, she said, by struggles with mental health or chronic stress. “It really depends on the individual and the context. As a psychologist, I’m always careful not to make assumptions, as every situation is different. But what’s clear is that leadership derailment is surprisingly common, yet rarely talked about.”
To add to the confusion experienced by leaders in the midst of a derailment, Race explained, sometimes the very traits and skills that enabled them to grow and progress can become the seeds of their downfall.
“Drive can turn into impatience, confidence into arrogance, decisiveness into rigidity. To sustain success over time, leaders need a healthy degree of self-awareness. They have to treat leadership as an ongoing practice, not just a destination.”
To best explain how derailment and damaging workplace dynamics are linked, she used the toxic triangle theory as an example. “It’s made up of three elements, a dysfunctional leader, susceptible followers and a permissive environment,” said Race.
“When organisations reward bullying, dominance, or charisma without conscience, toxic leaders thrive. In cultures where fear overrides feedback and short-term wins matter more than integrity, this behaviour isn’t just tolerated, it’s promoted.
She added, if employees and their organisations continue to confuse dominance with leadership and fail to reward empathy, accountability or psychological safety, “we risk normalising dysfunction and damaging people and performance in the long term”.
Environment building
But she noted, for many leaders, a derailment isn’t a sign that a career or current position has run its course, rather, it is often a turning point towards a “deeper, more authentic kind of leadership”. She believes, by working to become more self aware, developing space for reflection and rebuilding perspective, improvements can be made.
This can start by acknowledging that the workplace isn’t always equipped to handle complex or volatile issues, for example the political, social and economic problems that often spill over into the working environment causing chaos.
“Leaders and managers need to be able to stay connected to their values, be aware of unspoken cues and be open by leaning into difficult conversations with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
“Psychological safety isn’t about comfort or avoiding difficult conversations, it’s about creating space where people can speak up, challenge ideas and give honest feedback without fear. This allows constructive discomfort, connection and growth to happen safely.”
It all comes down to remaining civil and transparent in the face of uncomfortable topics. By addressing inevitable conflicts with empathy and professionalism, leaders can build a culture of trust and respect, strengthening not fracturing the workplace dynamic.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
