"The Wiz (1978)" & Contrasting Leadership Styles

Identifying The Reluctant, The Tyrant, and The Fraud in Your C-Suite

We’ve been told since we were kids that if we just follow the yellow brick road, we’ll find the answers.

We’re told that there’s a Wiz at the end of the line who has the budget, the headcount, and the vision to solve all our problems. But as anyone who has survived a corporate restructuring knows: sometimes the road is broken, the Wiz is a projection, and the real leadership is happening in the trenches.

In the 1978 masterpiece The Wiz, we aren’t just looking at a fantasy. We’re looking at a case study in organizational behavior. From the snowy streets of Harlem to the neon lights of the Emerald City, this film gives us three distinct types of Chief Executive Officers.

Today we’re auditing the leadership styles of Dorothy, Eveline, and the Man Behind the Curtain. We’re moving past the magic and looking at the management. It’s time to see who’s actually running the show.

The CEO Archetype

In the consulting world, these three archetypes show up in every boardroom.

You have the reluctant leader — someone who has the talent but is terrified of the big chair. You have the Tyrant — the leader who manages through fear and production quotas because they don’t know how to inspire. And then there’s the Fraud — the leader who has the best branding in the world but no actual infrastructure behind the curtain.

The problem usually isn’t the talent of the team. It’s the frequency of the leader. If you’re following a fraud, you’re chasing a ghost. If you’re working for a Tyrant, you’re burning out. But if you can find the Reluctant Leader who finally decides to own their power? That’s where the Home run happens.

Are you leading from a place of substance, or are you just pumping green smoke into the room and hoping no one looks behind the curtain?

The Audit: The Leadership Breakdown

• The Dorothy Audit (The Servant Leader): Dorothy didn’t ask for the job, but she’s the one who kept the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion aligned with the mission. She leads through empathy and shared goals. True leadership isn’t about the title — it’s about Operational Alignment. If your team is moving toward the goal because they trust you, and not because they fear the Witch, you’ve already won.
• The Eveline Audit (The Toxic High-Performer): Eveline runs the sweatshop. She has 100% productivity because she’s eliminated the break room. She tells her team: “Don’t nobody bring me no bad news.” This is a short-term gain, long-term drain model. When the leader creates an environment where Bad News is forbidden, they become blind to the water — the market shift — that is about to melt their entire operation.
• The Wiz Audit (The Branding Illusion): The Wiz is the ultimate hype man. He has the biggest office, the best light show, and a global reputation. But he has zero core competencies. He’s a balloonist who got lucky. You cannot scale an illusion. If your business model is 90% marketing and 10% delivery, the moment someone pulls back the curtain, your stock crashes.

Transition from the Wiz model to the Dorothy model. Stop trying to be “great and powerful” and start being present and empowered. Build a leadership style that doesn’t require smoke and mirrors to get people to follow the road.

The Emerald City Color Changes

There’s a moment in the Emerald City where the Wiz changes the vibe of the entire city just by shouting a color. Green! Red! Gold! And the people — the High-End Consultants of Oz — immediately change their entire wardrobe and attitude just to stay on-trend.

This is performative culture. If leadership changes the color of the company values every six months just to follow a LinkedIn trend, employees lose their identity. They aren’t working — they’re posing. When the Wiz finally stops the music, everyone realizes they’ve been dancing in a circle going nowhere.

Don’t build a culture that changes colors with the wind. Build one that is rooted in the True North of your mission.

The Suit Takeaway

You don’t need a wizard to give you what you already have. Leadership isn’t a gift from the C-Suite — it’s a decision you make every time you help your team find their brain, their heart, or their courage. Audit your style, stop the smoke and mirrors, and remember: you’ve had the power all along.