Sly and Mighty: How to Recognize, Resist and Rise Above Toxic Power

Kathleen Saxton

Is your CEO quietly eroding your confidence Does your school leadership team run on fear Is your manager prone to making grand gestures with polished, yet deeply unsettling, charisma Does your boss seem to delight in making life for you and your team so much worse

We live in a world where confidence is mistaken for competence, and dominance for strength. Across politics, business and everyday workplaces - including yours - a damaging leadership style has taken hold, defined by low empathy, excessive control and performative reassurance that conceals real harm. In Sly and Mighty, acclaimed psychotherapist Kathleen Saxton reveals how narcissistic leadership operates both loudly and invisibly. Whether overt or covert, it corrodes culture, silences dissent and leaves people anxious, confused and diminished.

More than a diagnostic guide, this book combines high-stakes case studies with the latest research on workplace narcissism to offer clear insight and practical therapeutic strategies. Saxton helps you recognise unhealthy dynamics, protect your self-worth and reclaim agency. From high finance to the voluntary sector, Sly and Mighty is both a map and a mirror for anyone seeking healthier leadership - and a healthier relationship with power.