Why Being A D*ck is Losing You Money

Life has had a particular affinity for Tanya Harding-ing me lately. I’ve been navigating the (literal) waters of a flooded basement following the Edmonton Rain Apocalypse of 2026, an ongoing and icky lawsuit, a car accident followed by immediately needing to replace our tires, and the not-at-all-unique challenges of building a steady pipeline as a new business. 

I’m tired. 

But lucky for you, when I get tired, I don’t get cranky; I just get more direct. 

So here it is: being a d*ck (or stacking your leadership with them) is costing you a lot of money.

Leading by fear is nothing new. It is as groundbreaking as florals in the spring (IYKYK). And the thing is, it gets results. 

That is, until it doesn’t. And there will be a time when it doesn’t - spectacularly. 

Fear gets compliance, not commitment. 

Once things go sideways - and they WILL go sideways - with bosses who lead by fear, they go way sideways. I say “bosses” who lead by fear, because real leaders would never do such a thing. 

We’re talking about major turnover, sometimes in groups as a form of revolt. We’re talking about WCB claims for psychological injury, high levels of absenteeism, lost time incidents, and low productivity when workers do show up. You risk having more and worse safety incidents, and honestly, you risk getting sued. 

Like I said. Costing you money. Big time. 

And it will cost you something priceless. Something that is almost impossible to get back once you lose it: your reputation.  

Your reputation impacts your entire business ecosystem, especially in 2026 when consumers are increasingly likely to choose which companies to align with based on values. 

If your workers are unhappy, they will talk. When they talk, people in their lives will listen. And when they listen, if they hear only about how the humans were treated horribly at your organization, you’re in trouble. You will lose your ability to recruit good workers or retain the ones you have, and externally, in the day of ESG-influenced buying, you will undoubtedly lose customers. 

Being a d*ck is not a leadership strategy, and it will burn your organization to a crisp. 

So, now you may be asking yourself, “How do I know if I am surrounded by d*cks?” and it’s easy to find the answer. The hard part is having the integrity to actually listen to what the answer is, even if it is unflattering. 

You have a responsibility to your organization to provide a workplace that is free from psychological harm. And to do that, you must start by looking at your leaders and being brave enough to deal with the people who are dangerous to the rest of your team. 

If you don’t, you’ll lose more than what you can count. 

Alex Knight

President & Neurodiversity Strategist Iron & Ember

*written without AI