ABSTRACT
Prior studies have typically viewed self-sacrificing managers as “good leaders” who inspire their employees through such positive mechanisms as fostering identification with the leader and cultivating high-quality leader–follower relationships that benefit both parties. Based on theories of conformity, we challenge the prevailing supportive view by arguing that leader self-sacrifice (LSS) can increase subordinate self-sacrifice through a pressure-based mechanism. Specifically, using data from one experiment and two 3-wave field studies, we found that LSS was positively related to subordinate self-sacrificial pressure, which in turn prompted subordinate self-sacrifice. Furthermore, we established that leader autonomy support mitigated these effects: When leaders provided greater autonomy support, their employees experienced lower levels of self-sacrificial pressure induced by LSS. These findings reveal a previously overlooked, pressure-driven mechanism through which LSS influences followers, and thus, even well-intentioned leader behaviors can impose hidden psychological demands on subordinates.