PainInducers

by | Jul 19, 2026 | Blog, Thought Leaders

Some folks are just painful to be around. When they’re the boss, their ability to induce pain for/in the rest of us is amplified.

As always, anti-example is just as instructive for us as the study of exemplars. So, here goes. Some archetypes of pain-inducing leaders:

  • Worry Warts — To these folks the sky seems always falling.
  • Po Po Pitiful ME-ers — The world seems to have targeted them for misery, and us to hear about it.
  • Micro Managers — Even when we get it 98% right, they’ll perseverate on the other 2%.
  • Drama Drummers — As if accomplishing important work is not hard enough, they adeptly find a way to stir up trouble amongst and between us.
  • Artful Dodgers — When there’s work to be done, they’re nowhere in sight. 
  • Blame Throwers — Masters at faulting others when things go sideways.
We know what they look like. We know what to call ’em.
 
What do we learn from these powerful anti-examples?
 
We can put that learning to work. Now is an excellent time to start.
*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning
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Nelson Coulter