This book offers a comprehensive analysis of fake leadership within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), revealing its detrimental impact on organization, job performance and brand commitment among employees. It shows the role of intra-organizational trust, job-related attitudes, and the unique vulnerabilities of HEIs in those processes. Crucially, the book also outlines defensive strategies, which can mitigate these negative effects, emphasizing the importance of transparency, ethical conduct, and collective action within HEIs. Drawing on empirical research involving over 500 employees of European HEIs, the authors identify specific organizational and individual strategies, which have the potential to combat and mitigate organizational destruction caused by fake leadership within HEIs.  It is an essential resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers committed to safeguarding the future of higher education.