Facing Bad Leadership Throughout Your Career – A Survival Guide

Throughout a long professional career, it is almost inevitable to encounter bad leadership. Most people have at some point worked under a boss whose style can be described as authoritarian, incompetent, or outright destructive. This could be a person who leads through fear, one who creates conflicts to assert themselves, or one who is simply absent when needed the most. The higher up the hierarchy you go, the greater the risk of encountering leaders who use their power to secure their own position rather than to uplift the team they are responsible for.

I have personally spent decades in live production, film, and the events industry, facing some of the worst leadership imaginable. Behind the scenes, where the audience never sees what happens, dramas frequently unfold, fueled by ego, power struggles, and incompetence. Most artists I have worked with have been professional and humble, but production staff and management have, in many cases, been complete disasters to deal with.

Bad Leadership – A Toxic Ingredient in Professional Life

Leadership on stage as a stage manager requires strength and assertiveness. You cannot hand over control to touring productions and let them dictate how things should be done, because they will eat you alive. As a stage manager, you are the one who ensures that everything runs smoothly, and if you show weakness, the entire production can spiral into chaos. Touring productions often have their own ways of doing things, but it is your job to maintain order, set boundaries, and ensure that the local crew is respected and that everything operates according to plan. Without strong leadership, backstage can quickly turn into a battleground of egos and power struggles.

This also applies to clients in the event industry who do not understand what they are doing. Often, young individuals with little to no experience are put in charge and attempt to dictate the direction without accepting the help offered by seasoned and experienced professionals—people like me! Instead of utilizing the knowledge and expertise available, they push their own misguided ideas, creating unnecessary conflicts and inefficiencies. In the event industry, as in stage production, a strong and knowledgeable leader is essential to ensure things run smoothly and effectively. During my most active years in the event world, it was not uncommon for the project manager to be someone closely connected to the CEO. Instead of focusing on creating a great event, their priority was often to cut costs in the wrong places without understanding the consequences. Many times, those of us on the ground had to take the hit, as it was more important for them to showcase their cost-saving measures to the CEO than to produce a successful event.

Leadership on stage as a stage manager requires strength and assertiveness. You cannot hand over control to touring productions and let them dictate how things should be done, because they will eat you alive. As a stage manager, you are the one who ensures that everything runs smoothly, and if you show weakness, the entire production can spiral into chaos. Touring productions often have their own ways of doing things, but it is your job to maintain order, set boundaries, and ensure that the local crew is respected and that everything operates according to plan. Without strong leadership, backstage can quickly turn into a battleground of egos and power struggles.

Bad leadership manifests in many ways. Here are some of the most common types:

1. The Tyrant – A leader who rules through fear, threats, and humiliation. Everything that goes wrong is blamed on the team, and fear dominates the workplace.

2. The Egotistical Boss – Believes they are always right and never listens to others. Only their opinions matter, and questioning them is seen as an attack.

3. The Invisible Boss – Never takes responsibility, is rarely present, and expects the team to solve all problems without support.

4. The Passive-Aggressive Boss – Says one thing but means another, manipulates, and plays employees against each other.

5. The Incompetent Boss – Has obtained their position for reasons other than competence and constantly makes poor decisions, creating chaos.

My Own Encounters with Jerks and Power-Hungry Idiots

One of the most extreme examples I have experienced was during a production with DIO. The entire day was filled with arguments and power struggles behind the scenes between the production team and the crew. By the end of the day, things escalated into outright physical fights. I realized I had to take drastic action to put an end to the madness. I eventually grabbed an axe and stormed into my bosses’ office, screaming that I had had enough and that I would cut the power cables to the stage if they didn’t get things under control.

Another striking example of poor leadership was the recent meeting in the Oval Office between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The entire interaction became a case study in power imbalance, where Trump, embodying the authoritarian and self-centered leader, sought to dominate the conversation while Zelensky, representing a leader under immense pressure, was handled with dismissiveness. The tension highlighted how, at the highest levels, leadership failures can manifest as intimidation, coercion, and a complete disregard for cooperation. It was a reminder that the principles of bad leadership remain the same, whether in the corporate world, live event productions, or international politics.

The situation remains unresolved, but it illustrates an important point: sometimes you must stand your ground and make a statement to earn respect and create change. Being conflict-averse in an industry where people constantly try to dominate each other can be a professional death sentence.

How to Handle Bad Leadership

There are several strategies for dealing with destructive leadership. Here are some of the most important:

1. Set Boundaries

A bad boss will run over you if you let them. Learn to set boundaries and stand your ground when something is unacceptable. If you are given unrealistic demands, speak up.

2. Understand Who You’re Dealing With

Not all bad leaders are intentionally malicious. Some are simply incompetent or unaware of how their behavior affects others. Understanding whether you're dealing with a tyrant, a narcissist, or just someone who is lost can help you choose the right strategy.

3. Document Everything

If you find yourself in a conflict with an unprofessional boss, document what is said and done. Keep email conversations as evidence and take notes from meetings. This can be crucial if you need to escalate the issue.

4. Build a Strong Network

Having colleagues who support you and share your perspective on poor leadership can be a lifeline. A strong group of employees can serve as a counterbalance to a bad boss and make it harder for them to push their agenda.

5. Never Sink to Their Level

It can be tempting to retaliate in kind, but getting caught up in a destructive power struggle often does more harm than good. Stay professional, even if your boss is not.

6. Learn to Pick Your Battles

Sometimes it’s worth fighting back, as in the case of the DIO production, where I knew the only way to stop the chaos was to take drastic action. But sometimes it’s smarter to step aside and let the boss dig their own grave.

7. If Nothing Works – Leave

It’s not always worth staying in a toxic work environment. If you see that leadership is hopeless and that it’s negatively impacting your well-being and career, it may be time to move on.

Conclusion

Bad leadership is unfortunately a reality in many industries. The higher up you go, the more likely you are to encounter people who have obtained their positions for the wrong reasons and who lead through manipulation, fear, or sheer incompetence. However, by setting boundaries, documenting incidents, building networks, and knowing when it’s time to leave, we can protect ourselves and navigate these challenges.

I have encountered many jerks and power-hungry bosses over the years, but I have never backed down. It has led to fights, shouting matches, and even axe threats against power cables – but I have always stayed true to myself and solved the problems at hand. Because, in the end, it’s about one thing: standing up for yourself and refusing to let bad leadership define your professional life.