Over the weekend, I found this one-year-old article called ”The Danger of Surrounding Yourself with Sycophants in Business – Having business (and personal) relationships with sycophants can be dangerous and could seriously harm your business” by Stephanie Dillon, published by Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture-council/articles/danger-of-surrounding-yourself-with-sycophants-in-business-1234683509/
In my career, either as CAE or CCO, but also when I was ”on the other side of fence” as Board of Management member or CEO of large organizations, I have witnessed the toxicity of sycophants, individuals who use flattery to gain personal advantage. In the corporate world, the presence of sycophants at the senior executive level can undermine organizational health. A CEO, surrounded with ”yes people”, is challenged by the echo chamber effect, and risks becoming insulated from the operational realities and challenges that the company faces.