Why Many Companies Are Building Cults, Not Cultures

Charismatic leadership, shared values and team rituals can shape a thriving workplace but there is a  fine line between strong culture and cult-like control. 

According to emotional intelligent leadership expert and Uncapped Potential cofounder Marnie Brokenshire, the difference between culture and cult can be separated by a fine line and many organisations are crossing it without realising.

Inspired by the Netflix documentary on WeWork, Brokenshire said the red flags of ‘performance theatre’, toxic conformity and toxic positivity are easy to miss when hidden behind a mandate for full throttle buy-in.

“At We Work, what began as a mission to elevate the world’s consciousness became a story of cult like coercion disguised as culture,” Brokenshire said.

“It’s not just a WeWork problem. It’s a leadership problem and it’s happening in everyday workplaces.”

In her latest leadership analysis, Brokenshire outlines how forced positivity, leader worship and silencing dissent can quietly distort a workplace from the inside out. While traditional performance metrics are tracked, psychological safety is at risk of being ignored. The result is a culture that rewards obedience over innovation, and likability over leadership.

“Disagreement is reframed as negativity. Cultural fit becomes code for conformity and speaking up is labelled ‘not a team player’. This isn’t culture, it’s cult like control,” she said.

The hallmarks of a cult-like culture include:

• Emotional suppression dressed up as resilience
• Leader worship
• Success tied to pleasing not thinking
• Dissenting opinions are career suicide

She warned that when niceness is mandatory, truth disappears and with it go trust, innovation and long-term performance.

“Cult like cultures are riddled with toxic positivity. We praise ‘good vibes only’ while sidelining disagreement, challenge, diverse views and that costs us real dialogue, growth and results,” Brokenshire said.

Brokenshire believes emotionally intelligent leadership is the antidote. Leaders must be willing to audit their culture, separate values from dogma and actively create environments where diverse opinions, feelings, discomfort and challenge are not only allowed but encouraged.

“Psychological safety is not about being nice. It’s about constructive candour, accountability and the freedom to question. The strongest cultures are not the ones where everyone agrees, they’re the ones where it’s safe not to,” she added.

Brokenshire urged leaders to ask themselves the hard questions: Are people energised or just intense? Are the same voices always quiet? Is dissent welcomed or managed? Are you building a high-performing team, or a controlled echo chamber?

“The culture you build is the risk you carry. If your people don’t feel safe to speak up, the real danger is not what they say. It’s what they never tell you,” Brokenshire said.

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