The Boys: Sometimes Dysfunction Just Works!

Most superhero teams are built on noble ideals. They’ve got pristine headquarters, glossy PR, and a mission to save the world. But The Boys are something else entirely: a scruffy guerrilla unit of misfits, bound together not by virtue, but by trauma and vengeance.

They shouldn’t work. And yet, they do.

When Ellen and I explored The Boys on our The Leadership Multiverse Podcast it struck us that beneath all the chaos, violence, and unprintable dialogue, there’s a surprising amount to say about leadership, teamwork, and organisational culture. In their blood-spattered, black-comedy way, The Boys might just be one of the most honest depictions of what happens when leadership goes wrong, and how people adapt when it has to.

1. Purpose born of pain

The Boys are not heroes. They’re traumatised individuals trying to avenge what superheroes (the “Supes”) have done to them and the people they love. Each member has been wronged: Huey’s girlfriend is literally obliterated by a speeding hero; M.M.’s family destroyed by corporate negligence; Butcher’s wife victimised by Homelander, the sociopathic face of the superhero elite.

It’s an ugly, vengeful purpose, but it is purpose nonetheless, and that’s lesson number one: clarity matters more than purity.

Many leadership teams spend months word-smithing a purpose statement that feels safe, aspirational, and beige. The Boys don’t have that luxury. Their “why” is visceral, if morally dubious, but because it’s clear, it binds them. The question for real-world leaders isn’t whether your mission is perfect but whether it’s powerful enough to unite people through discomfort, ambiguity, and change.

2. Trauma bonding and trust

The team’s early dynamic is volatile. Butcher bullies, Huey hesitates, M.M. nags, Frenchie improvises, Kimiko grunts. There’s shouting, betrayal, and explosions (lots of explosions!). Yet despite the chaos, they keep showing up for each other.

That’s the messy reality of psychological safety. It isn’t about everyone being nice; it’s about surviving conflict without destroying trust. The Boys argue constantly, but they don’t splinter. Over time, they develop an instinctive understanding of each other’s limits and triggers, i.e., the unspoken contract that “we fight hard, but we’re still a team.”

Contrast that with The Seven, the glossy corporate superheroes managed by Vought International. They have everything: wealth, adoration, and power, but there is no trust. Their culture is one of fear, manipulation, and competition. The result is paralysis. Nobody challenges Homelander, because they know he’ll literally incinerate them. Healthy teams aren’t those that avoid conflict. They’re those that can survive it.

3. Leadership isn’t a title

Billy Butcher calls himself the leader, but he’s not the only one who leads. In practice, leadership rotates. Butcher commands in combat; M.M. handles logistics; Huey sets the moral tone; Annie (Starlight) brings legitimacy; Frenchie and Kimiko improvise and execute.

It’s a form of distributed leadership, which is messy, situational, and adaptive. They lead according to need, not hierarchy, and in membership organisations and associations, I see this often. The most effective leadership rarely comes from one heroic CEO but from a coalition of influence, i.e., people who know when to step forward, when to step back, and when to let others lead.

The Boys are the same. There’s no static org chart, just shifting responsibility. And while that chaos would terrify most corporate boards, it’s also what keeps them alive.

4. Authenticity, even when it’s ugly

Annie January (aka Starlight) begins in The Seven, a corporate PR machine that demands conformity, exploitation, and silence. When she refuses to play the part, she’s punished. Her decision to quit and join The Boys is her declaration of authenticity: I am Annie. Not Starlight.

That’s courageous leadership in its purest form, sacrificing power and comfort for integrity. The Boys, for all their dysfunction, allow their members to be themselves. Butcher is unfiltered rage. Frenchie is chaos and creativity. Kimiko communicates without words. Huey doubts himself constantly. None of them are forced to mask who they are.

There’s a lesson here about inclusion that goes beyond demographics: authentic teams tolerate difference, even if it’s uncomfortable. They don’t demand uniformity.

5. The limits of charisma

Butcher’s leadership style is textbook toxic charisma. He’s decisive, persuasive, and utterly ruthless, which are qualities that make him effective in crisis but corrosive in peacetime. He manipulates loyalty, weaponises trust, and bulldozes dissent. Yet, for a time, his magnetism works because charisma is intoxicating.

In corporate settings, we often mistake charisma for competence. The charismatic CEO rallies the room, inspires confidence, and silences doubt, until the substance runs out. Butcher’s arc is a cautionary tale: charisma can launch a movement, but only integrity can sustain it.

Huey’s gradual emergence as the team’s moral centre proves the point. He’s awkward, self-doubting, and painfully human, but he’s real. And in a world of spin and manipulation, that’s what people trust most.

6. Courage without ego

Several of the team’s quietest moments carry the biggest lessons. Kimiko, traumatised and non-verbal, consistently chooses to protect rather than destroy. Annie refuses to compromise her principles even when it costs her career. Huey learns to say, “I’m not okay.”

Courage isn’t loud. It’s not about winning every fight or dominating every meeting. It’s about holding your values when no one’s watching.

The show’s irony is that The Boys (violent, damaged, and unpolished) are infinitely more ethical than the superheroes they oppose. Their courage comes from moral clarity, not superpowers.

7. Dysfunction that performs

If we applied Tuckman’s model of team development (forming, storming, norming, performing) The Boys would be permanently stuck in “storming.” They argue, fracture, and reunite every few episodes. Yet somehow, they deliver and they are proof that a team can be both turbulent and effective. The storm is their normal.

Many organisations waste energy trying to suppress friction rather than harness it, but in complex systems, whether superhero teams or boardrooms, friction can be a catalyst for creativity and accountability. What matters is not eliminating conflict, but ensuring it stays purposeful.

8. Adaptive, not ideal

By the later seasons, The Boys function as an adaptive team. They flex around context, redistribute leadership, and play to individual strengths. It’s messy, but it works. They’ve built a culture that reflects their volatile, dangerous, and unpredictable environment.

There’s a truth there for every organisation facing turbulence. Stop copying someone else’s “high-performing team model.” Your culture, context, and constraints are unique. Build leadership that fits your world, not someone else’s case study.

9. The real heroes

Ironically, The Boys become more heroic than the heroes themselves. Not because they’re noble (spoiler: they’re not!, but because they evolve. They self-reflect and they adapt. Butcher stays stuck in vengeance, but the rest of them grow, and in the final analysis, The Boys are a study in emergent leadership. Their power lies in imperfection and in the way they stumble forward, argue, fail, and yet still show up.

That’s leadership in real life. Not cinematic perfection. Not shiny suits or corporate slogans. Just flawed people doing their best to make sense of chaos together.

10. For the rest of us

In a world that often rewards polish over purpose, The Boys remind us that great teams are rarely tidy. They’re scrappy, argumentative, and a little bit broken, but they know why they’re there, and sometimes, that’s enough to save the world, or at least the day.

Leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence, clarity, and courage in the face of dysfunction. The Boys prove that even the most chaotic teams can succeed when they’re united by purpose, bound by trust, and willing to grow through the storm.

Listen to our latest episode at https://www.you-elevated.com/copy-of-association-transformation or wherever you get your favourite pods!