The Horrible Boss Effect 1g284c

Good leadership is about guidance and trust, not micromanaging from a distance. When Erin ed her new company, the team was running smoothly in the absence of their C-suite executive. But as he slowly returned, his helicopter leadership style created more problems than solutions—changing processes without observing, dismissing team dynamics, and canceling the very one-on-one meetings he insisted were important. In this episode, we explore how disruptive leadership affects a team and what real leaders do differently.

Jessica looked to a leader for interview prep—but instead of , she left feeling insulted. Hear how she turned the experience into growth and became a stronger leader (and an even better human)!

Friday Leadership Fix is a quick and actionable series onThe Horrible Boss Effect podcast, designed to help you grow as a leader in just five minutes. Every Friday, Shauna delivers a focused leadership lesson packed with practical tips to boost your confidence, enhance your skills, and inspire those around you -- usually inspired by her guests' stories. These bite-sized episodes provide the tools you need to lead with impact and resilience. Tune in each week for yourFriday Leadership Fix—because great leadership starts with small, intentional steps.

Yogi is back to chat about a section of the old school “Standard Manual for Supervisors” from 1969. In this series, I ask guests to return and pick a page number, and who knows where we will end up from there! In this episode, Yogi and I discuss succession planning – then and now. And, yes, there’s something about this section of the manual that gives Hunger Games vibes! Give it a listen! This is the fifth episode in this series. Be sure to check out the others!

Friday Leadership Fix is a quick and actionable series onThe Horrible Boss Effect podcast, designed to help you grow as a leader in just five minutes. Every Friday, Shauna delivers a focused leadership lesson packed with practical tips to boost your confidence, enhance your skills, and inspire those around you -- usually inspired by her guests' stories. These bite-sized episodes provide the tools you need to lead with impact and resilience. Tune in each week for yourFriday Leadership Fix—because great leadership starts with small, intentional steps.

When Matt’s socially awkward boss shut down input from others—relying instead on bad jokes and poor leadership—Matt found himself stepping in to keep the team on track. As assistant manager and second in command, he didn’t just learn what not to do as a boss—he put those lessons into action, becoming the leader his team needed in real time.

Friday Leadership Fix is a quick and actionable series onThe Horrible Boss Effect podcast, designed to help you grow as a leader in just five minutes. Every Friday, Shauna delivers a focused leadership lesson packed with practical tips to boost your confidence, enhance your skills, and inspire those around you -- usually inspired by her guests' stories. These bite-sized episodes provide the tools you need to lead with impact and resilience. Tune in each week for yourFriday Leadership Fix—because great leadership starts with small, intentional steps.

What happens when leadership makes decisions in isolation, ignoring the very people those choices impact? In this episode of The Horrible Boss Effect, Barry shares his experience working under a leadership triumvirate—infamously known as The Three-Headed Monster. His boss, one of the trio, failed to grasp a simple truth: people are far more likely to what they’ve helped create.

Friday Leadership Fix is a quick and actionable series onThe Horrible Boss Effect podcast, designed to help you grow as a leader in just five minutes. Every Friday, Shauna delivers a focused leadership lesson packed with practical tips to boost your confidence, enhance your skills, and inspire those around you -- usually inspired by her guests' stories. These bite-sized episodes provide the tools you need to lead with impact and resilience. Tune in each week for yourFriday Leadership Fix—because great leadership starts with small, intentional steps.

What do you do when your boss takes over your job, screws it up, and then expects you to cover for them? In this episode of The Horrible Boss Effect, RG, an active duty military professional, shares the experience working under a leader who prioritized their own reputation over doing the right thing. Forced into an impossible situation, RG had to make a tough choice—but through it all, RG learned a critical lesson: boundaries matter. Tune in as we discuss the importance of standing your ground, protecting your integrity, and refusing to take the fall for someone else’s failures.

Friday Leadership Fix is a quick and actionable series on The Horrible Boss Effect podcast, designed to help you grow as a leader in just five minutes. Every Friday, Shauna delivers a focused leadership lesson packed with practical tips to boost your confidence, enhance your skills, and inspire those around you -- usually inspired by her guests' stories. These bite-sized episodes provide the tools you need to lead with impact and resilience. Tune in each week for your Friday Leadership Fix—because great leadership starts with small, intentional steps.

What happens when a leader refuses to understand the needs of their team? In this episode, Kadin shares his experience as a neurodivergent professional navigating a workplace where his boss disregarded his boundaries, dismissed his unique strengths, and made no effort to create an inclusive environment. We’ll discuss the toll of being misunderstood, the impact of leadership ignorance, and how Kadin turned this experience into a powerful lesson in self-advocacy and resilience. If you’ve ever felt unseen at work, this episode is for you.

Yogi shares the story of his horrible boss who had an odd way of handling a coffee creamer “issue.” We chat about how this made him a better leader and how trust is an integral part of effective leadership.

Denise from Episode 01 is back, and we are talking about a section in the old school “Standard Manual for Supervisors” from 1969. Leadership styles are a hot topic in general. In this episode, you might be surprised to know we discussed some of the necessities of a more autocratic style of leadership!   This is the fourth episode in this series. Be sure to check out the others!

Ever seen the movie The Devil Wears Prada? Leah’s horrible boss was a lot like Miranda! Whether you have or you have not seen the movie, this episode will give you some insight into Miranda’s character – only it was real life for Leah and it was not glamorous. 

In this episode, we dive into the story of Blaz, a former regional OPS director who – after being reduced to an analyst role despite leading operations across 8 countries – experienced severe burnout and took a 6-month sick leave. Listen to hear what he learned and what advice he has for others experiencing burnout from a toxic boss.

Boundaries are important! In this episode we’ll hear about Veronica’s horrible boss who did not respect boundaries. She offers some good advice with how she handled it and how she stayed true to her own values in the process. 

Mike from Episode 09 is back for part two chatting with Shauna about a section in the Leadership Manual from 1969 (introduced in Episode 12). He and Shauna are discussing what the manual says about how to manage absenteeism. My, how things have changed since the manual was written!

Eddie’s horrible boss was the CEO who made it a point to make the environment psychologically unsafe for employees he didn't like. He gave Eddie an unattainable goal and, when he didn't hit it, he reduced Eddie’s salary by nearly 50%.  Trigger warning – In this episode we discuss narcissism. During his graduate studies, Eddie researched the effect of narcissistic leadership on followership, and now champions ethical leadership in everything that he does.

Paul’s horrible boss was a helicopter – he came around occasionally when it suited him and it was usually to yell at people. Eventually, Paul realized what was most important to him and what he did NOT want to be involved with. If this was what "success" looked like in this industry, then he didn’t want to be part of it. Listen as he describes how this experience shaped him into his own successes. And he has some sage advice for others, too!