Mexico, Leadership, Admired Ideal

Leadership as a Risk

Mexico’s official standard on psychosocial risk at work, NOM-035-STPS-2018, names liderazgo negativo, negative leadership, as a risk factor. It describes it as a relationship between the employer and the workers marked by an “actitud agresiva y/o impositiva” (aggressive and/or overbearing attitude) and “escaso o nulo reconocimiento y retroalimentación del desempeño” (little or no recognition and feedback on performance).

The questionnaire for larger workplaces asks workers to rate statements about their boss. One reads “Mi jefe tiene en cuenta mis puntos de vista y opiniones” (My boss takes my points of view and opinions into account). Another reads “La orientación que me da mi jefe me ayuda a realizar mejor mi trabajo” (The guidance my boss gives me helps me do my work better).

Simple Structures

Grupo Carso, the conglomerate of Carlos Slim, has ten principles. The first, as quoted in the Mexican press, reads: “Estructuras simples, organizaciones con mínimos niveles jerárquicos, desarrollo humano y formación interna de las funciones ejecutivas” (Simple structures, organizations with minimal levels of hierarchy, human development and internal training for executive functions).

Human Leadership

The official values of Grupo Bimbo include “Buscar que nuestro personal se desarrolle y realice plenamente” (to seek that our staff develop and fulfill themselves completely) and “Trabajamos en equipo. Colaboramos, sumamos esfuerzos, multiplicamos logros” (We work as a team. We collaborate, we add efforts, we multiply achievements).

Raymundo Yutani, a human resources director at FEMSA, told the magazine Corresponsables: “el liderazgo humano no es exclusivo de RH; es una de las principales responsabilidades de nuestros líderes” (human leadership is not exclusive to HR. It is one of the main responsibilities of our leaders).

The Humble Boss

In September 2007, Expansión published an article called “La era del jefe humilde” (The era of the humble boss). Ernesto Bolio, director of the areas of human factor and family business at the IPADE business school, said: “Ha habido un cambio social, los líderes son menos autócratas” (There has been a social change, leaders are less autocratic).

He added: “cuando el líder es autócrata hace gente chiquita” (when the leader is an autocrat, he makes people small).

A More Horizontal Leader

In 2017, the book México cree en ti (Mexico believes in you) was published with the organization Promotora Social México. Its essay “Despierta al líder” (Awaken the leader) speaks for the organization.

“Proponemos un modelo de liderazgo evolucionado, más horizontal, más cercano y más colaborador” (We propose an evolved model of leadership, more horizontal, closer and more collaborative). It calls for “un nuevo tipo de liderazgo, centrado en la persona” (a new type of leadership, centered on the person).

The Present and the Desired Leader

In 2026, VinculaTégica, a journal of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, published a qualitative study based on interviews with 47 administrative employees and middle managers of medium and large Mexican companies. They described their leaders now and the leaders they want. It concludes that “emergen demandas de un liderazgo participativo, ético y culturalmente sensible” (demands emerge for a participative, ethical and culturally sensitive leadership).

Among the desired traits, participants named a leader who “Toma en cuenta los diferentes puntos de vista” (takes different points of view into account).

Leadership of Terror

In October 2026, the job site OCC published a Termómetro Laboral survey of 1,557 workers in Mexico. “Nueve de cada diez participantes dijo haber vivido un liderazgo de terror” (Nine out of ten participants said they had lived through a leadership of terror).

Asked about the traits of such a boss, 65 percent named arrogance and abuse of power, and 17 percent micromanagement. Of those with a bad experience, 27 percent ended up resigning.

The School Technical Council

In every school of basic education in Mexico, the director and the teachers meet as the Consejo Técnico Escolar. Its official guidelines describe it as “el órgano colegiado de mayor decisión técnico pedagógica de cada escuela” (the collegial body with the highest technical and pedagogical decision-making power in each school).

Two researchers of the National Pedagogical University in Torreón observed the council of one secondary school between 2021 and 2023. They found that the school built a ritual out of its sessions. They concluded: “La labor del director es factor de éxito o fracaso en las sesiones del CTE” (The work of the director is a factor of success or failure in the sessions of the council).

A Safe Channel for Complaints

Mexico’s official workplace standard on psychosocial risk, NOM-035-STPS-2018, tells employers in numeral 8.1 b) to “disponer de mecanismos seguros y confidenciales para la recepción de quejas” (have secure and confidential mechanisms for receiving complaints). Numeral 5.7 d) names the complaints: those “por prácticas opuestas al entorno organizacional favorable” (about practices contrary to a favorable work environment).

A guidance sheet by the social security institute IMSS suggests how: “Pueden implementarse buzones, correos electrónicos, entre otros” (Mailboxes, email addresses and other means can be set up).