Customer Success · Leadership · 3 min read
The Best Leadership Lessons Sometimes Come From Bad Managers
A personal reflection on how poor communication shaped the kind of leader I never wanted to become.
One thing I promised myself I would never do as a leader came from a habit one of my former managers had.
He used to schedule meetings two weeks in advance with titles like:
“We need to talk.”
No context. No agenda. Nothing.
Even though I was a top performer, those meetings always made me anxious.
I would spend days replaying conversations in my head:
- Did I say something wrong?
- Did I upset a client?
- Did I miss something important?
- Am I in trouble?
The reality?
It was never bad news.
Most of the time it was:
- “I’m going on vacation and need you to cover for me.”
- “Great job expanding this account.”
- Or something completely routine.
Eventually, I brought it up during a 1:1 and explained how much unnecessary stress those meetings created. I suggested adding context or simply handling smaller things differently.
He laughed it off.
And he kept doing it.
That experience shaped me more than he probably realised.
As a leader today, I never want communication from me to create unnecessary anxiety for my team.
Whether feedback is positive or difficult:
- I give context.
- I communicate clearly.
- I respect people’s mental space.
- I remember that leadership is not just about what you say—it is about how people feel after interacting with you.
Sometimes the leadership lessons we carry forward come from examples we do not want to repeat.
What is one mistake a former manager made that shaped the kind of leader you became?
Communication is not only about the message. It is also about the anxiety, confidence or clarity that message creates for the person receiving it.
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