‘That’s not how I would do it...’: Why managers fear being shown up

The hierarchical structure of the workplace may presume that the people in charge are confident leaders who are effective decision makers and are able to lead the team with confidence. However, research has shown that there are managers who may have an underlying fear of being outperformed by their own employees.

This may not always be evident, but it may affect the team in subtle ways. This has been explained by psychologists as the fear of negative evaluation. This is where people may have the fear that they are being evaluated in a way that may show they are incompetent compared to the competent subordinates.

A study published in PubMed states that this fear may cause the manager to become more sensitive to the perceived threat and may affect the way they relate to the high-performing employees. As per the findings of the study, this fear does not just stay as an emotion but is expressed as a behavior.

When competence feels like a threat

In a healthy work environment, employee success is also expected to lead to team success, but in cases where the manager is feeling insecure, the success may be seen as a competition rather than a collaboration. According to an analysis by Psychology Today, some managers may subconsciously perceive high-performing employees as threats to their power and may even try to undermine them.

Such behavior is an indication of a psychological battle with regard to professional identity and self-esteem, where the need for power is given precedence over the need for growth. Managers may even try to undermine the strengths of their employees rather than using them for the growth of the team.

One of the most common ways this insecurity manifests is through micromanagement, which often involves an excessive amount of control exerted over employees to the point where their independence is compromised. This might appear to be a concern for detail, but studies have shown that it can also function as a coping strategy for those in managerial positions who feel threatened in their own job security.

Another way this manifests, as also mentioned in this Psychology Today study, is through a tightly controlled workflow to the point where the manager’s sense of authority is maintained, ensuring that they do not become overshadowed. This is also supported by the study published in PubMed, which indicates that this is a way of attempting to control threats rather than actual performance issues. This, ultimately, stifles creativity, which is a necessity in today’s workplaces.

The cost of employee authenticity

When employees feel controlled and restricted, they may start to adapt their behavior in response. This may result in a lack of authenticity in the workplace. A study carried out and documented in BMC Psychology indicates that employees who feel free to express themselves in the workplace have higher engagement and lower rates of burnout, even in a challenging work environment.

When a manager is insecure and uses too much control in the workplace, the employee may start to hold back their ideas and their potential in an attempt to avoid conflict. This disconnect between potential and contribution not only affects the employee’s satisfaction with their work but also the overall potential of the team.

The emotional effects of these dynamics go beyond the realm of productivity and into the realm of the employee. Another study in BMC Psychology points out the fact that negative behaviors in the workplace, including perceived hostility or a lack of support from the management, lead to anxiety and a reduction in proactive behaviors in the employee themselves.

When employees perceive their competence as a threat, it may lead to a degree of self-doubt and hesitation, which in turn reduces their overall initiative and collaborative potential. This is not a good environment for open communication.

When control turns toxic

In more extreme cases, these patterns can overlap with traits associated with toxic leadership, where manipulation or excessive control becomes more pronounced. Research discussed by PsyPost indicates that employees who perceive such traits in their managers report lower engagement and higher levels of burnout.

While not all insecure managers display these characteristics, the overlap highlights how unresolved fears around competence and authority can escalate into behaviors that significantly harm workplace culture.

Further, these characteristics may, in extreme situations, even coincide with those of a toxic leader, where manipulation or dominance is more prominent. Studies mentioned by PsyPost show that if such characteristics are perceived by employees, their level of engagement is lower, while their burnout is higher.

Although not all insecure leaders may show these characteristics, there is a link between how their insecurities can lead to extreme situations that affect workplace culture negatively.

These patterns reveal that the fear of being outperformed is not just a personal issue but a structural challenge that can shape workplace culture at multiple levels.