“Men who are assertive are seen as strong leaders.
Women who do the same are called intimidating.
This double standard isn’t just unfair…
it’s dangerous when it fuels upward bullying.”
This comment from a recent conversation about upward bullying captures a difficult, often unspoken, truth: leadership is not judged equally. And while any leader can face conflict, resistance, or undermining behaviour from their teams, certain groups of leaders: women, racially diverse leaders, new leaders disrupting old norms, and those without strong institutional backing are far more vulnerable.
It’s time we name it. And more importantly, it’s time we address it.
Who Faces the Greatest Risk of Upward Bullying?
Upward bullying can happen to any leader, but it doesn’t happen equally. Bias and perception shape who becomes an easy target. But research, lived experiences, and workplace investigations repeatedly reveal that power is not only about job titles, it’s also about how society views authority in the hands of different people. And when those perceptions are shaped by gender, race, and status quo bias, certain leaders become easier targets.
Women in Leadership
For women in leadership, the tightrope is real. Too soft? She’s seen as ineffective. Too firm? She’s labelled difficult, cold, or aggressive.
Assertiveness, decisiveness, and high standards are routinely praised in male leaders as signs of strength and confidence. Yet when women display these same traits, the response often shifts from respect to resistance.
This double standard doesn’t just undermine women; it fuels upward bullying against them.
Employees might:
- Question a female leader’s decisions more aggressively.
- Withhold cooperation or information.
- Gossip or build informal coalitions to discredit her.
- File complaints framed around tone, personality, or ‘management style’ rather than actual misconduct.
The risk isn’t hypothetical, it’s systemic. And unless organisations actively name and challenge these biases, women will continue to face disproportionate obstacles simply for leading.
Racially Diverse Leaders
Bias, both conscious and unconscious, plays a significant role in workplace power dynamics.
Leaders of colour, especially Black women, experience heightened scrutiny, exclusion, and resistance compared to their white counterparts.
Subtle and overt behaviours might include:
- Second-guessing their expertise.
- Undermining their authority in meetings.
- Microaggressions masked as ‘feedback’ on tone or demeanour.
- Isolating them socially and professionally.
When subordinates with social privilege challenge, resist, or reject a racially diverse leader, it’s not just personality clashes or professional differences. It’s systemic bias playing out in the workplace.
And when those leaders report feeling unsupported or targeted, too often their concerns are minimised, or worse, dismissed as a ‘resilience issue’ rather than recognised as systemic bias.
New Leaders Disrupting the Status Quo
Another group highly susceptible to upward bullying? Leaders brought in to drive change.
When new leaders challenge entrenched norms, whether replacing a long-standing manager or driving overdue cultural change, teams often react with resistance instead of adaptation.
It can look like:
- Passive-aggressive defiance.
- Uniting to formally or informally discredit the leader.
- Filing complaints framed as concern for ‘team wellbeing’ while masking self-interest in preserving outdated norms.
Change threatens comfort zones. And without strong organisational support, new leaders, particularly those who don’t ‘fit the Mold’ can find themselves isolated, undermined, and eventually edged out.
Leaders Without Strong Institutional Support
Even the most capable leaders become vulnerable when the structures around them fail.
When HR, executive teams, or key stakeholders don’t actively back a leader, or worse, treat every complaint as equally credible without context, it sends a clear message: you’re on your own.
This lack of institutional support makes leaders easy targets for upward bullying because:
- Complaints against them are assumed to be valid without due diligence.
- Their side of the story is overlooked or dismissed.
- Their authority is quietly eroded while complaints are “investigated.”
- Eventually, they’re pressured to ‘move on’ not because they failed, but because the system failed to back them.
The message is clear: if no one’s standing with you, it’s open season.
The Hidden Power Play: Bias and Exclusion
At its core, upward bullying isn’t just about workplace conflict. It’s about who is perceived as deserving of power.
When bias enters the equation, certain leaders – women, racially diverse leaders, and those breaking traditional workplace norms – are disproportionately pushed out.
This isn’t only a leadership challenge, it’s a diversity, equity, and inclusion crisis.
Because when organisations allow these power plays to go unchecked, they reinforce the very biases they claim to fight against. They send an implicit message about whose leadership is acceptable, and whose isn’t.
What Can Organisations Do About It?
It starts with awareness, but it cannot stop there. From awareness must come action.
Awareness is the first step. But awareness without action is just lip service.
To protect leadership without silencing employees, organisations must:
- Acknowledge that upward bullying exists
- Recognise that bias affects how leaders are perceived, challenged, and supported.
- Ensure workplace investigations and complaints processes consider power dynamics in all directions.
- Train HR teams and decision makers to spot not only downward bullying but also lateral and upward forms.
- Create strong, fair processes where leaders have a voice and are neither automatically blamed nor untouchable.
- Prioritise psychological safety for everyone by setting clear expectations for respectful, professional conduct, regardless of position.
A Question Worth Asking:
Have you seen gender, race, or bias play a role in workplace bullying?
Have you seen gender, race, or bias tip the scales against a leader? How often are valid concerns dismissed simply because the target holds authority, or because bias makes the allegation feel ‘believable’?
If organisations are serious about inclusion, fairness, and accountability, it’s not enough to protect employees from toxic leaders. They must also protect leaders from toxic cultures.
Because when trust breaks down from the top, middle, or bottom, psychological safety disappears for everyone.