I had significant exposure to negative leadership behaviors with my first real job starting shortly after I graduated high school. I have worked with "Larry" for over 12 years and up until about six years ago he was also the main source of almost everything I knew about running a business and managing people. I use the word “manage” intentionally because what he was doing was definitely not leading. He literally demanded respect and those who didn't measure up didn't last long. Larry had over 20 years of management experience, was what most would consider reasonably successful financially, and seemed happy with his life, so I never saw much reason to doubt him or his ways. Looking back Larry was really just a "boss" who was primarily a dictator of people and processes. He did not understand the concept that “you are given leadership based on your position and you show emergent leadership by influencing people to do great things” (Clark, 2010, p. 1). Larry could have become a much better leader by embracing this simple concept. He failed as a leader because he always put himself first, not his followers or the organization. In general he didn't like people very much and didn't hide the fact that he considered them a necessary evil for running a business. It is difficult to narrow down the negative characteristics of Larry's leadership, but if he had been interested in becoming an effective leader there are two areas he could have started with: offering timely and constructive feedback especially during performance evaluations and demonstrating ethical business practices. I believe that taking a leadership rather than managerial approach in these two areas would have gone a long way in helping Larry transition from a feared manag... middle of paper... of those who work so hard to make me look good. The road to unlearning some of the bad habits established under Larry's tutelage was long and bumpy at times, but the patience of an excellent mentor and the desire to better myself inspired me to commit to going back to school and finish that degree that I had escaped. by me more than 16 years ago. Works Cited Carnes, K., Cottrell, D., & Layton, M. C. (2004). Management Insights Discover the truths about management success. Dallas, TX: CornerStone Leadership Institute.Clark, D. R. (2010). Leadership concepts. Retrieved September 2, 2011, from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.htmlHarvey, E., & Lucia, A. (n.d.). Follow the Talk (3rd ed.). Dallas, TX: The Walk the Talk Company.Kreitner, R. (2008). Management fundamentals Basic notions and best practices (by the teacher). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.