This chapter presents the role and impact of leadership within higher education institutions (HEIs). It begins by defining HEIs and their unique characteristics, including the role of national context, emphasizing the need for effective leadership to navigate academic and administrative challenges and showing various vulnerabilities in this regard. First, various leadership styles suitable for HEIs are analyzed, highlighting their positive effect on employees and institutions. Then, this chapter addresses destructive leadership styles, highlighting their detrimental effects on HEIs. Finally, fake leadership is placed within the field of destructive leadership styles in HEIs. This chapter particularly focuses on fake leadership as a specific destructive leadership style, exceptionally detrimental for HEIs. Fake leadership is characterized by facade of authenticity, hidden intents, and harmful and deceptive behaviors of a leader. This chapter breaks down the definition, characteristics, and enablers of fake leadership, identifying the factors that allow such leadership to thrive within HEIs. It also explores the characteristics of HEIs that make them susceptible to fake leadership, such as organizational games, power placement, hierarchical structures, and academic pressures and their role in shaping such perception.