Jordan was that guy at the startup.

Mid-30s, razor-sharp. Hired during Series A. By Series B, he was leading a revenue team and breaking records.

Deals closed? ✔️

Investors impressed? ✔️

Colleagues? …Well, that’s where it got messy.

Jordan was what startups call “a rocket ship.” But working for him felt like getting hit by debris on re-entry.

He sent 1 a.m. Slack messages. Micromanaged like it was a competitive sport. Gave feedback with all the subtlety of a hammer. And barely acknowledged his team unless something was late or wrong.

He wasn’t trying to be a jerk, he just wanted results. Fast. But as the team grew, so did the complaints. Burnout. Turnover. Terrible feedback from employee exit interviews.

Leadership loved his output… but they couldn’t ignore how it was impacting everyone else.

82% of employees say they’d leave a job because of a bad manager.

And Jordan? He was textbook. Under pressure, his strengths became his downfall: Hyper-controlling. Dismissive. Emotionally tone-deaf. He called it “high standards.” His team called it “soul-crushing.”

When HR finally stepped in, Jordan was confused and frustrated. “I’m not trying to be abrasive - I just need things done.” But intention doesn’t matter if impact is destructive.

So what changed?

His HR team got him the support he didn’t know he needed.

→ First: a personality assessment that helped him understand how he was wired and how his default style was coming off to others.

→ Then: a leadership coach to help him navigate the messy, human side of work.

He finally got the kind of support that helped him pause before firing off that midnight email or walking into a tense 1:1 ready to steamroll.

He took a hard look at what triggered him. Why “toughen up” had become his autopilot setting. And how the very traits that made him a star individual contributor were tanking his credibility as a leader.

He started practicing different moves:

👂 Active listening

🤲 Releasing control

👏 Recognizing his team - not just their output, but them as people

It wasn’t about softening. It was about growing. He didn’t lose his edge - he just stopped cutting people with it.

Have you had a “Jordan” on your team? What’s one trait every good leader needs to create a healthy work environment?

✨👀 P.S. We have something coming soon to help you lead with self-awareness before you become the manager people dread. It’s there when you need it - so you don’t have to wait until things blow up to start growing.