By Rob Cross , Steve Mostyn, Julian Lighton and Tom Emery
In the wake of Miranda Priestley’s return to the big screen, leadership experts and authors examine why the fear-based management she exemplifies is losing relevance in modern workplaces.
The return of Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada 2 has reignited debate about one of business’s most enduring leadership questions: does command-and-control management still have a place in today’s workplace?
Drawing on insights from leadership coaches, authors and organisational experts, this article explores why empathy, psychological safety and trust are increasingly replacing fear as the foundations of effective leadership – and what difficult bosses can still teach us.
This year’s theatrical release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 marked the return of Meryl Streep’s iconic Miranda Priestley as a towering example of the fear-based, command-and-control leadership style that once dominated corporate culture.
However, in 2026, this style of leadership is more outdated, and damaging, than ever before, with leadership traits such as empathy, openness and psychological safety now far more important to the workforce of today.
But does the fear-based, autocratic leadership exemplified by Meryl Streep’s character still has a place in the workforces of 2026? To get to the heart of the question, we’ve asked a range of leadership experts, coaches and best-selling business authors for their views. Here’s what they had to say.
Leaving behind fear-based leadership
Tom Emery – performance coach, founder of people performance consultancy HEX and author of People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a Chief HR Officer – told us “Miranda Priestly rules by fear. Her leadership style is a masterclass in driving high standards with no care for human connection.
“Most leaders aren’t Miranda Priestly. But some show Miranda-esque traits.
“In their team meetings, people will hold back. They’ll behave defensively or aggressively when challenged. Some might speak up, but they’re the trusted ones. The powerful ones. Others will stay quiet. Reluctant to take a risk. Scared of the consequences of saying something stupid.
“Psychological safety is absent.
“Fear-based leadership doesn’t nurture high performance. Teams become experts in managing their bosses. Anticipating their every whim and mood. They avoid voicing their opinion or challenge. As a result, the best ideas never see the light of day. Bad news is hidden. The most talented people leave.
“Psychological safety isn’t about making people comfortable. It’s about building their capability. To say something brave. To disagree well. To highlight mistakes before they become disasters.
The best leaders in 2026 will leave behind fear-based leadership. They’ll make honesty feel safe.”
Whether you like it or not, your people are looking at you as leaders
Rob Cross – a leadership expert and author of Ask 3 Questions: How to Live Well in a Distracted World – made the point that, as a leader, you are always on display to your team, which should be reflected in your behaviour at all times – and, crucially, that no great modern leader is an island.
“Miranda Priestley’s leadership style in The Devil Wears Prada captured a model that many organisations still quietly reward today: the “great man” leader. The all-seeing, all-knowing hero who stands above everyone else, absorbs pressure alone and expects absolute compliance in return.
“But the leadership lesson to leave behind in 2026 is this: certainty performed as strength is no longer leadership.
“In periods of uncertainty, humans instinctively look to leaders for direction because we want to believe that if we follow the leader, we will be safe. The problem is that today’s uncertainty is too complex for any individual to fully control. No leader has all the answers anymore, but every leader still has impact. Every decision shapes culture, trust, energy and performance.
“People no longer expect leaders to be superhuman. They expect them to be human, clear and accountable. The best leaders in 2026 listen deeply, involve others and recognise that how they lead matters just as much as what they decide.”
Visionary – or cautionary tale?
Julian Lighton, author of Navigating Your Next: Discover the Career You Want and the Path to Get There, speaks to the heart of the character as a shining example of how “command and Control” leadership can be fostered, and warns of how easily the pressure to be assertive and confident can all too easily tip the wrong way, remarking that, “The myth Miranda embodies is that excellence requires cruelty. That high standards demand intimidation. That the best leaders make people feel small so they’ll work harder to prove themselves.
“Three decades of building leadership teams taught me the opposite: the highest-performing organizations I’ve worked with weren’t built on fear. They were built on clarity, psychological safety and genuine investment in people’s development.
“Here’s what to leave behind in 2026: the belief that demanding excellence means withholding appreciation, that maintaining authority requires keeping people anxious, that perfectionism justifies contempt.
“You can maintain high standards while respecting people. You can be decisive without being dismissive. You can build brilliant teams without making them feel diminished.
“Miranda got results through intimidation. Great leaders get sustainable results through trust – where people perform at their best because they believe in the mission and in themselves, not because they’re afraid.
“The best version of brilliant leadership leaves the cruelty behind.”
Ask better questions – receive better answers
Finally, Steve Mostyn, author of Why Great Leaders Ask Great Questions, emphasised an eternal and important truth – great leaders may not have all the answers, but they know how to ask the right questions. “In our imagination we often wish we could magic away ‘bad bosses’ How many hours do we waste sharing our experiences of difficult bosses? This is fantasy, disempowering and opt out that diminishes the agency of the aspiring leader. The ultimate act of work avoidance.
“Instead, realise that the only person you will ever change is yourself and despite leaders like Miranda Priestley, who will always exist, we can learn from the best and the worst.
“How do you do this?
“Build a reflective practice – reflect on experiences, don’t be imprisoned by them. Journal all the things your ‘bad boss’ does well. List all the people the ‘bad boss’ has a good relationship with. Seeing this written down gives a new perspective and power. Ask better questions – with genuine interest. Find a mentor you respect; and avoid Emily Charlton’s reflection of her development in the Devil Wears Prada II, “May the bridges I burn light my way!””
In conclusion, a bad boss is almost inevitable at some stage of your career. So are difficult colleagues, organisational politics and imperfect workplaces. The question is not whether you will encounter them, but what you will do with the experience. And, the leaders who grow fastest are those who treat every boss – good or bad – as a teacher with wisdom to share around how (and how not) to lead.
Rob Cross
