Leadership is an omnipresent aspect of daily life, particularly in organizational settings. While research has extensively examined constructive leadership and its effects on follower and organizational performance, there is a burgeoning interest in exploring the domain of destructive leadership. This has led to the development of the toxic triangle model, which focuses on the interaction between destructive leadership, susceptible followers, and conducive environments. However, more research is necessary to comprehend how these elements interrelate and influence significant outcomes. Thus, the current study aims to investigate the toxic triangle in a simulated organizational context by examining the impact of destructive leaders on the sensemaking and ethical decision making processes of followers, while considering the roles of follower core self-evaluation and perceived team mental models. Participants complete a range of measures and confront an ethical dilemma in a low-fidelity marketing scenario. By exploring the effects of destructive leadership in the presence of follower and contextual vulnerabilities outlined in the toxic triangle theory, this study seeks to advance understanding in this nascent area of research and discuss the implications of findings for leadership, organizational contexts, and literature. Keywords: leadership, destructive leadership, core self-evaluation, team mental model, sensemaking, EDM