#leadership Tag

Lessons From Bad Managers Over the course of my career, I’ve worked for more than a few poor managers—enough that choosing just one as the worst would be nearly impossible. Instead, I’ve narrowed it down to three who left the deepest impression. Ironically, I’ve also been fortunate to work for some truly exceptional leaders, whom I’ll write about separately. The contrast couldn’t be sharper: the best managers elevated my career, respected me as a person, and recognized my strengths. The three below did exactly the opposite. Richard I joined Richard’s petrochemical construction company as a Budget Manager after being referred by the Controller of...

13 April, 2026

Lessons in Leadership: Observations from My Career I have encountered numerous managers who exhibited substandard leadership qualities throughout my career. Beyond their poor treatment of staff through threats and intimidation, many struggled to effectively motivate their employees or understand the reasons behind high turnover. One manager, the founder and owner of a profitable software company, was undeniably intelligent, having developed a valuable program for checking the integrity of internal systems. However, he could not manage professional employees. His first-line managers, including me, operated as a dysfunctional team, receiving minimal guidance and support from him. One even admitted that he hoped I would...

21 April, 2025

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Mark Twain All of us wish to do what we love (or like) to do and earn a good wage for doing something we enjoy. In my case, I would have liked to have been a professional baseball or hockey player.  But I had no exceptional talent to be a professional in either sport – even at the lowest levels.  So, that dream was never realistic.  A second choice would have been to be a television or radio broadcaster for any professional sport.  However,...

08 October, 2024