What You Told Me About Bad Bosses

I asked a simple question in a recent email: What’s the worst kind of boss you’ve experienced—or witnessed in the wild?

The responses came in fast—and they were very specific.

• There was the leader who rewrites your work…while you’re still working on it.

• The one who schedules meetings to “collaborate,” then talks the entire time.

• The one who disappears when things get hard and reappears when it’s time to take credit. (This one came up more than once.)

What stood out most was that people didn’t just describe the behavior, they told me how felt: frustrated, deflated, and exhausted.

That’s what happens when leaders run in what I call “hero” mode, when they’re the ones who always swoop in with the answers, solve the problems, and make every final decision. It might feel efficient in the moment, but over time, people stop thinking for themselves, and the best people quietly start updating their LinkedIn profiles.

This old model of leadership doesn’t work.

The most effective leaders I have ever studied or worked alongside have made a different choice. They stopped trying to be the hero of the story and stepped into the role of guide. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating conditions where people can do their best work.

Maybe the most important question isn’t, “Have I worked for a bad boss?” It’s this: Where might I be showing up like one…without realizing it?

The shift from controlling to guiding doesn’t start with a title. It starts with awareness.