This is part 2 of a 2-part article to address what is wrong when a leader achieves a “God”-like status. This phenomenon is also known as a Pharaoh Complex.

In my previous article, I outlined key traits that signal a leader suffering from what can be called the Pharaoh complex:

1. They think and behave like a god
2. They will do anything to avert losing power
3. They will use their fraudulent resources to manufacture their image and safeguard their status

This week, we’ll delve deeper into additional traits highlighting such leadership.

4. They will make compromises to stay in power

“Malevolent leaders have brains whereby their right has nothing left

and their left has nothing right.”

“The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.” Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.” (Exodus 8:19, 25, 28 NIV)

When the evidence of evil and corruption is stacked against them, these leaders will compromise to stay in power. They will pretend to give in. Some will use their resources and support causes to make themselves look good. Others are masters in using spin doctors, even the media, to manufacture a persona and maintain a clean image. They may even try to buy over their enemies.

For Lance Armstrong, he continues to support and raise funds for the Livestrong Foundation.

5. They will smooth-talk, cajole and deceive to stay in power

“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Then, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.” (Exodus 9:27, 28 NIV)

Such leaders will use whatever means necessary to retain power. If it involves lying, cheating, and scheming, so be it. They are masters of politicking and maneuvering. When turning situations to their advantage, no depth of treachery and deception is beyond them.

Ironically, some of their opponents keep believing in them because most of us have a tolerance for evil until and unless it affects us personally. We will continue to tolerate their false promises as long as we are not impacted.

6. They will pamper and share their spoils with their co-conspirators

“Ladies who play with fire must remember that smoke gets in their eyes.”

 Mae West

“But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace and did not take even this to heart.” (Exo 6: 22, 23 NIV)

Feed the lovers and starve the enemies. Those who will continue to support them as long as they can enjoy the special privileges and share in the plunders. Perhaps they are kept under these leaders’ thumbs because of skeletons in their closets, which will seal their demise if brought to light. They become enslaved and beholden to the system.

Ironically, these leaders often have supportive spouses who stand by them despite the condemnation they face. Someone has proffered to me that these spouses may have become part of the system and are wielders of power. They could have become accustomed to their husbands’ ways and even been in cahoots with them. After all, “blood is thicker than water”.

7.They will use threats, intimidations, and deaths to destroy their opponents

“Criminals do not die by the hands of the law.

They die by the hands of other men.”

George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

“That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy” (Exo 5: 6-8)

They will go to extremes to scapegoat their adversaries and invent murderous schemes to silence them. They use their well-oiled machinery and institutions like the courts, the police, and the army to do their bidding. Unfortunately, they have a vast network of cronies, which they have circumspectly cultivated for when such “services” are needed.

However, I believe that there is an in-built justice system that will finally prevail. In any society, good men and women like Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi will stand up for righteousness, justice and the rule of law. I believe that in this world, there will always be courageous individuals who hold fast to the words of William Penn, “Right is right, and even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it”.

“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
•I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
•I shall fear only God.
•I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
•I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
•I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”

― Mahatma Gandhi