What Do We Do About Bad Leadership?

Let’s be honest—bad leadership shows up more than we’d like to admit. In this sharp TEDx talk, Barbara Kellerman, a leadership expert from Harvard Kennedy School, makes a simple point we can’t ignore: not all leadership is good, and pretending otherwise hurts people, profits, and culture.

For business owners and managers, the message is practical and urgent: learn to spot the patterns, challenge the behavior, and build systems that make good leadership the norm—not the exception.

In this video you’ll be pushed to:

• Name the problem clearly. Bad leadership has recognizable patterns. Once you name them, you can stop excusing them.

• Own the followership piece. Teams either enable or challenge poor behavior—there’s no neutral. Train people to speak up and set standards.

• Catch issues early. Look for small signals—missed commitments, “exceptions” to policy, fear in the room—and address them before they spread.

• Put in guardrails. Clear expectations, transparent decisions, and real accountability protect your culture when pressure hits.

• Lead better, together. Make this a team conversation: what we reward, what we tolerate, and what we will never allow.

Why this matters now: Growing a healthy business takes more than smart strategy—it takes courageous leadership and a culture that won’t look the other way. Use Kellerman’s talk to spark an honest discussion with your team and commit to better habits going forward.

Watch the video (≈18 minutes), then discuss: Where are we strong? Where are we slipping? What changes start today?