April 7, 2026

Episode 182: Leadership Lessons from Bad Bosses with Mita Mallick

Episode Description:
In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of The Devil Emails at Midnight and Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace. Mita shares powerful stories about “bad boss” behaviors, why even good leaders can fall into them, and what great leadership can look like instead. If you’ve ever had a difficult boss – or been that difficult boss – this episode offers insights, relatable moments, and a refreshing perspective on what leadership can be.

🔗 Connect with Mita Mallick on her website and on LinkedIn

Shownotes:
In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of The Devil Emails at Midnight and Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace. Mita shares powerful stories about “bad boss” behaviors – and why even good leaders can fall into them. From micromanagement to fear-based leadership, she unpacks how stress, personal challenges, and workplace pressure can shape how leaders show up.

Dane and Mita then explore how storytelling builds connection, why teams aren’t automatically communities, and what it really takes to create workplaces where people feel supported, seen, and motivated to do their best work. They look at why executive leadership can be problematic, how bosses can tactfully address disengagement, and why getting offline might be an underrated key to better leadership.

If you’ve ever had a difficult boss – or been that difficult boss – this episode offers insights, relatable moments, and a refreshing perspective on what leadership can be.

🔗 Connect with Mita Mallick on her website and on LinkedIn

Leadership Lessons from Bad Bosses with Mita Mallick

Guest Bio

Mita Mallick is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author. She is the author of The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses. Mita is on a mission to fix what’s broken in our workplaces. She has been both a Marketing and HR executive, with a track record of transforming businesses. She’s a highly sought-after speaker who has advised Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice, a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Adweek, and Entrepreneur.

Key Takeaways

0:00 Welcome to The Future of Teamwork Podcast
00:02 Meet Mita Mallick
00:43 Introduction to The Devil Emails at Midnight
01:40 The Power of Storytelling in a Noisy World
03:00 Community vs Following—What Really Matters
05:00 The Hidden Impact of Bad Bosses
05:08 Why Managers Affect Mental Health the Most
06:03 Leadership Is a Responsibility, Not a Right
07:14 We All Have Bad Boss Moments
08:20 Context Matters—Different Leaders for Different People
09:26 The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership
11:55 Setting Leaders Up for Success
12:22 Stress Brings Out Bad Boss Behavior
14:35 Measuring Leadership Beyond Results
16:00 The Hidden Cost of High Performance
17:10 Rethinking Performance Reviews and Team Accountability
18:59 The Case for Team-Based Performance
19:21 Meet “Medusa”: The Fear-Based Leader
21:35 Why Fear Works (and Why It Fails)
23:24 How to Handle Toxic Leadership Behavior
24:32 The Courage to Self-Reflect as a Leader
25:31 Rewarding Talent Attractors, Not Just Performers
26:52 The Misuse of Executive Coaching
28:05 When Leaders Need Therapy, Not Coaching
29:19 How Environments Create Bad Bosses
30:25 The Truth About Employer Brand
31:54 When Companies Lose Control of Their Reputation
32:17 Meet “The Napper”: Disengagement in Action
33:17 How Disengagement Spreads Across Teams
34:20 Why Leaders Avoid Difficult Conversations
35:04 Re-engaging Employees the Right Way
36:10 The Courage to Have Honest Conversations
36:24 Using “Mirroring” to Give Better Feedback
38:39 Eliminating Judgment in Leadership
39:11 Why Disruption Creates Opportunity
40:19 The Human Advantage in an AI World
41:48 Coaching, Teaching, and Leading with Humanity
42:42 The Importance of Going Offline
43:28 Final Reflections on Leadership and Culture
44:10 Where to Find Mita Mallick
44:23 Closing