What happens when doing your job quietly turns into managing your boss’s ego?
In this Relationships at Work mini-episode, Russel Lolacher unpacks the real damage caused by bootlicking cultures — where praise is safer than honesty, silence is rewarded over truth, and employees spend more energy protecting leaders than improving the work.
Through a simple story and clear leadership reflections, this episode explores how fear-based leadership erodes psychological safety, engagement, trust, and culture — often without leaders even realizing it’s happening.
You’ll also hear three practical leadership shifts that help move teams from ego maintenance to mutual respect — and from performance to real relationships at work.
Because nobody was hired to be their boss’s emotional support human.
And connect with me for more great content!
