The goal of our study is to extend the research on leader bottom-line mentality (BLM). Consistent with extant research, we position BLM as a dysfunctional attitude. Subsequently, we leverage the transactional model of stress theory to explain why leader hindrance appraisals trigger leader BLM. Our rationale is that hindrance appraisals prompt leaders to separate themselves mentally from others, disengage from organizational responsibilities, and focus on themselves. We argue this manifests in the adoption of BLMs. We further extend our model via BLM theorizing and explain the relationship between leader BLM and leadership drawbacks. Explicitly, we propose the adoption of BLM decreases leaders’ engagement of ethical leadership and increases leaders’ engagement of abusive supervision. We also argue that leaders relatively high in neuroticism react more negatively to hindrance appraisals with a heightened adoption of BLM. In summary, the findings from a multisource field study support our first-stage moderated–mediation conceptual model. We conclude by discussing implications, limitations, and future research.