44 Leading with NLP
they do not prohibit, while cults prohibit what they do not
permit.
Community to cult is not a sharp ‘either/or’ distinction,
but a continuum. Groups range from one extreme to the
other, but cultish elements always come from the dark side
of leadership and a shadow leader will start to crystallize a
cult around them.
There are some basic questions that will show up the dif-
ference between cult and community:
What is the purpose of the group?
What is its vision?
How does the group decide what to do?
Does the leader have the only vote?
How is power distributed?
Does power only flow from top to bottom or are there
checks?
To what extent do all members have a say in what happens?
Does membership of the group constrain what the
members can do?
Does it set limits on who they can associate with?
Does it set limits in their life in areas that have nothing to
do with the common tasks of the group?
Does the group create self-trust or self-distrust in its
members? Are they made dependent?
How easily can they leave?
How responsive is the group to feedback from outside?
Is there one truth or are many points of view taken into
account?