Dictators can work well when they are insanely talented, motivated, and tuned into their minions. Being a trusted minion of a powerful dictator has provided the most effective, fun, coordinated experiences of my career so far.
On the other hand, they are a single point of failure. When someone succeeds from outside in pushing the dictator out, chaos ensues. Some will thrive under the ensuing autonomy as they see room to advance their own agenda, but many of the most talented will move on if they perceive that the team is in a degraded state. Worst of all, being a trusted minion of the prior dictator leaves you with a suspect role when a new dictator grabs the throne. Experiencing this is somewhat painful and complicates your weighted decision heuristic for what to do with the rest of your life. Will things get better? How long do I wait? Could I possibly reinvent myself to the degree that e.g. patio11 was able? etc.
On the other hand, they are a single point of failure. When someone succeeds from outside in pushing the dictator out, chaos ensues. Some will thrive under the ensuing autonomy as they see room to advance their own agenda, but many of the most talented will move on if they perceive that the team is in a degraded state. Worst of all, being a trusted minion of the prior dictator leaves you with a suspect role when a new dictator grabs the throne. Experiencing this is somewhat painful and complicates your weighted decision heuristic for what to do with the rest of your life. Will things get better? How long do I wait? Could I possibly reinvent myself to the degree that e.g. patio11 was able? etc.