WHY WE KEEP PRODUCING BAD BOSSES -- AND HOW TO STOP TRAINING THEM THAT WAY

The leadership industry’s paradox

We spend staggering sums on leadership programs, books, and degrees—yet far too many people still dread their manager, distrust their executives, and disengage from their work. I have watched this pattern across sectors for years as a Marketing and Communications executive and a ghostwriter working with senior leaders.

The core problem isn’t a shortage of content. We face a capacity problem—leaders who can translate values into everyday communication behaviors that people actually experience as trustworthy, humane, and useful. That’s the heartbeat of my book, The Authentic Leader, which argues that authenticity isn’t a slogan, rather authentic leadership is a practice people can feel in the room, on video, and in the words one writes. Authenticity serves as a North Star, guiding a culture that brings out the best in teams and colleagues.

What young leaders actually need

When I work with emerging leaders, I see similar gaps in their development: an instinct to “sound leaderly” rather than being leaders and a habit of polishing messages, while avoiding difficult truths. Early-career leaders don’t need more pep talks. They need a short list of observable behaviors. Here’s mine: start with the human stakes, explain your logic plainly, set an update cadence, and close the loop publicly. In The Authentic Leader, I lay out three initial steps: embrace your story, practice radical transparency, and lead with empathy—each framed as action, not attitude.

Start with authenticity (and make it observable)

Authenticity begins with self-knowledge, but it shows up as what people can see you do:

• How you open a message

• How you acknowledge impact

• How you respond to a tough question

As I explain, “Authenticity is more than being true to yourself… an authentic leader is also attuned to the needs and emotions of others.” In other words, focus on actively listening, reflecting back what you’ve heard, and making support visible. These behaviors help create psychological safety and deeper engagement, rather than performative “openness.”

Transparency is the second pillar. Young leaders often ask, “How transparent is too transparent?” My answer: default to clarity about what you know, what you don’t, and when you’ll update. Authentic leaders don’t hide behind a veil of secrecy…transparency builds trust. Direct communication—even about sensitive issues—isn’t cruelty; it’s respect. I profile leaders who “address the elephants in the room,” modeling candor as a cultural norm.

“Authentic leaders don’t hide behind a veil of secrecy… transparency builds trust.”

Empathy is the third pillar. Leaders who name the burden on others, provide resources, and stay present reduce stress and raise engagement. In my resilience writing, we show how authentic communication and empathy foster trust and psychological safety, particularly during uncertainty—conditions under which teams don’t merely endure; they improve.

Train for communication behaviors, not performances

If we want fewer bad bosses, we have to stop training leaders to perform persona and start training them to practice presence. That shift is concrete:

• Open with a value sentence (“We’re prioritizing quality over speed to protect customer safety”)

• Acknowledge human impact before directives

• Explain why in plain language: state what’s known/unknown and the next update time

• Invite dissent on purpose; thank the first tough question

• Close loops in public: what changed (or didn’t) because of feedback

These are teachable moves that convert empathy and integrity into felt experience. The result is creation of a culture people can trust.

Two simple mental models (not another 300-slide deck)

When I train young leaders, I give them two scaffolds they can remember under pressure:

The EAT Model (Engage → Adapt → Transform) is a process lens: first win attention and belief (Engage), then iterate message/channel/rituals from real feedback, both for yourself as a leader and audiences/people you engage with (Adapt), and finally prove change with policies, cadences, and evidence (Transform). I developed EAT initially to explain how culture works—not as a “thing,” but as a process people experience and reshape. That verb-like quality helps leaders design communication people actually ingest and use.

The 6-M Communication Model (Mindset, Message, Medium, Mechanisms, Membership, Measurement) is a design checklist. Mindset puts values and ethics first; Message clarifies framing and story; Medium matches channel to intent; Mechanisms turn words into repeatable routines; Membership ensures real voice and dissent; Measurement shows salience, sentiment, behavior, and trust. Use it every time there’s a stake. It prevents “clever-but-unethical” campaigns, message theater without follow-through, and “change” with no proof.

Together, these models keep young leaders from improvising charisma and instead coach them to sequence change and design communication so people experience respect, clarity, and steadiness.

Why so many programs fail (and how to build ones that don’t)

We create toxic managers when we reward optics over outcomes and charisma over care. Many curricula skip the part where leaders have to show up consistently and make support tangible. In our leadership development at Workplace Options, we emphasized that safety and engagement require cadence, boundaries, and human connection—not slogans. Leaders who model clarity, encourage balance, and keep conversation channels open cultivate resilience rather than burnout.

We create toxic managers when we reward optics over outcomes and charisma over care.

For young leaders, the path forward is clear: treat authenticity as a daily discipline. Write the value sentence first. Be honest about uncertainty. Make empathy visible. Discuss and publicize what changed because people spoke up. Do these things, repeatedly, and the culture will begin to mirror the leader.

A better beginning

The future doesn’t need more boss-shaped performances. We need leaders who communicate with courage, clarity, and care. If you’re training the next generation—or becoming it—start with the practices I outline here and in The Authentic Leader. We want to help leaders develop skills that are short on theatrics and long on results: Lead with empathy…actively listen…create a safe space for authenticity to flourish.

The future doesn’t need more boss-shaped performances; it needs leaders who communicate with courage, clarity, and care.

If this resonates, consider picking up a copy of The Authentic Leader. And, if you want to put these ideas into action, pick one communication this week and run it through these behaviors, particularly the EAT Model and the 6-M checklist. Remember: the only leadership that works is the kind people can feel.

2030: YOUR BUSINESS IS DYING...

...Because You Didn’t Hire Enough Humanities Graduates...

Critical and contextual thinking are the new superpowers!

Walk the halls of any failing organization in 2030 and you will see the same patterns: brilliant engineers with no sense of context; marketing departments drowning in dashboards, but blind to meaning; and leaders who can’t connect decisions to human experience.

The tragedy isn’t lack of intelligence...but lack of perspective.

For years, executives doubled down on “hard skills.” They thought: “Hire more coders. Scale the analysts. Push productivity through process.” And yet, here we are: disengaged employees, customers who don’t feel understood or valued, and cultures that suffocate innovation.

What organizations (and their leaders) missed is that human beings drive business, not algorithms or workflows. And human beings are messy, contradictory, and infinitely complex. To make sense of that complexity requires something more than efficiency metrics. It requires context, empathy, narrative, and the ability to hold multiple truths at once.

“Complex problems need people who are energized by tackling big, complex challenges.”

— Bob Batchelor

This is precisely what the Humanities teach. Graduates who have wrestled with history, philosophy, literature, creative writing, or art bring more than cultural awareness. They bring tools for thinking systemically, questioning assumptions, and connecting disparate dots. They can spot patterns across centuries, frame ethical dilemmas in ways that unlock better strategy, and articulate meaning when others only see noise.

The Authentic Leader argues that leadership is ultimately about one question: Are we helping people? Leaders who can’t answer that—who can’t even see it—build organizations that crumble when faced with complexity. Humanities graduates, by training, are equipped to keep asking that question, even when the numbers look good on the quarterly report.

This is not an argument against technology, finance, or engineering talent. Rather, it is a call for balance. If you want to future-proof your business, you need people who can code and people who can contextualize. People who can design systems and people who can challenge their consequences. Professionals who can solve problems and people who can imagine futures worth solving for.

Ignore this at your peril.

The companies that thrive in 2030 won’t be those with the most data. Instead, think of a future in which leaders and teams know what the data means for human lives. Complex problems need people who are energized by tackling big, complex challenges.

The EAT Model created by Bob Batchelor

Bob Batchelor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, & Culture at Coastal Carolina University. He is a critically-acclaimed, bestselling cultural historian and biographer. He has published widely on American cultural history and literature, including Stan Lee: A Life and books on The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Great Gatsby, Mad Men, and John Updike. Batchelor earned his doctorate in English Literature from the University of South Florida.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY THROUGH THE EAT MODEL: A LEADER'S ROADMAP

In my recent conversation with Donald Thompson for WRAL TechWire, we explored the profound role of psychological safety in today’s workplace. For me, the discussion reinforced just how vital this idea is—not just as a feel-good concept, but as a business imperative. In the EAT Model—Engage, Adapt, Transform—psychological safety is not an afterthought. It is a core driver of how leaders create resilient, innovative, and high-performing cultures.

Donald noted that, in a time when trust in institutions has eroded, employees often trust their employers more than they trust media or government. That’s a remarkable shift—and a responsibility. Leaders have become stewards of trust, which means our ability to create a safe environment for ideas, questions, and even dissent is directly tied to business performance.

That’s Engage—the first pillar of the EAT Model. Engagement here is more than “communication” in the corporate sense. Rather, it is focused on creating authentic, human connections that give employees permission to share their perspective without fear of retribution. Without that foundation, psychological safety can’t take root.

But psychological safety isn’t static. This is where Adapt comes into play. Too often, adaptation is seen as something purely external—adjusting to market shifts, competitive pressures, or new technologies. In the EAT Model, adaptation is both external and internal. Leaders must continuously recalibrate their own behaviors, language, and even emotional intelligence to reinforce safety.

But how do leaders operationalize this idea?

• Responding constructively to mistakes

• Actively seeking feedback on how safe people feel

• Making visible changes in response

Don’t forget, though, the organization’s role in creating psychological safety. Organizations must evolve policies and practices to reflect new realities, thereby shifting from one-way communication to genuine dialogue, for example, or embedding inclusive decision-making into daily routines.

When leaders commit to engagement and adaptation over time, transformation occurs. This is the third pillar of the EAT Model: cultural change that becomes part of an organization’s DNA. In practice, transformation looks like higher retention, more innovation, and stronger collaboration. But at a deeper level, it’s about creating an enduring culture of trust and learning. Then, psychological safety becomes a cultural safety net when the organization needs resilience, like weathering economic downturns, facing competitive disruption, or even experiences societal crises. As Donald pointed out, psychological safety is not only the right thing to do, it’s a competitive advantage.

From my perspective, applying the EAT Model to psychological safety gives leaders a clear roadmap:

1. Engage with empathy and authenticity

2. Adapt with both structural and personal change

3. Transform by embedding safety into the culture

The result is a workplace where people feel safe to speak up and are motivated to contribute their best thinking. This is an important outcome. In an era where the quality of ideas can determine the survival of an organization, that’s more than a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity.

The Leadership Value Proposition

The beauty of applying the EAT Model to psychological safety is its scalability. It works in small teams, global corporations, and even cross-cultural contexts where trust and open dialogue are harder to build. For leaders in marketing, communications, and digital industries—where creativity, speed, and collaboration are paramount—the EAT Model offers a lens for diagnosing cultural barriers and a roadmap for removing them. The return on investment is tangible: stronger employee retention, better decision-making, and a workforce that innovates faster than the competition.

Leaders who want to operationalize psychological safety—and reap its competitive benefits—should explore how the EAT Model can be integrated into their leadership practice. By focusing on engagement, adaptation, and transformation, you don’t just create safer workplaces—you create stronger, more resilient organizations.

THE EAT MODEL: UNDERSTANDING CELEBRITY BRANDING THROUGH A CULTURAL LENS

Culture is not a noun — it’s a verb. Something that happens to us, and that we, in turn, help create.

When I began studying American culture decades ago, I noticed something: most scholars and cultural commentators described popular culture as if it were an object. A thing you could hold up and label — a Picasso painting, a baseball card, a Marvel comic book.

While this approach had value for cataloging and analysis, it missed the spark. The real action of culture is not static; it’s dynamic. Popular culture is not just the object itself — it’s the rush of feeling when you hear a song for the first time, the charge of energy in a crowded theater as the lights dim, or the sense of belonging when you put on your favorite team’s jersey.

Culture is not a noun — it’s a verb. Something that happens to us, and that we, in turn, help create.

This shift in perspective — from static to dynamic — led me to develop the EAT Model: Engage, Adapt, Transform. Initially born from my work as a cultural historian, the model captures how culture is lived and experienced, and how brands — particularly celebrity brands — generate lasting meaning.

The EAT model captures how culture is lived and experienced, and how brands — particularly celebrity brands — generate lasting meaning.

Engage: Creating the Spark

Every enduring celebrity brand begins with Engage. Engagement is the spark — that first connection that makes someone stop, look, and feel something.

This isn’t simply visibility. True engagement hits on an emotional frequency. Think about Robert Downey Jr.’s emergence as Iron Man. He wasn’t just another actor in a superhero role. His personal story of struggle, redemption, and charisma aligned perfectly with the Marvel cinematic moment. Fans weren’t just buying tickets for Iron Man; they were buying into the Downey comeback narrative.

Starbucks achieved something similar when it became more than a coffee company. In my research with Kaitlin Krister Schrock, we coined the term radical sociodrama to describe how Starbucks acts as a stage where customers perform aspects of their identity. The company went far beyond selling coffee. Starbucks created a lifestyle cue, a way to project taste, refinement, and belonging.

Engagement, then, is more than grabbing attention. The focus is on connecting in a way that makes the audience feel seen and understood — the necessary ignition point for everything that follows.

Adapt: The Bridge Between Engagement and Transformation

Most people think “adapt” means simply react to change — adjust your schedule, update your branding, follow a trend because it’s gaining attention. That’s part of it. However, in the EAT Model, Adapt is much richer and more integrated.

Adapt is the bridge between engagement and transformation. It’s where what you have connected with externally meets the shifts happening internally — in your mindset, values, and identity — and the two reshape each other.

This is the visible, situational adjustment:

• A musician evolves their sound to reflect changing cultural tastes.

• A company updates its messaging in response to a social shift.

• A public figure refines their tone after a major life change or cultural event.

This kind of adaptation is responsive, but rooted in what came before — the surface expression of something deeper.

This is where Adapt becomes transformational in its own right:

• Reframing perspectives — The change outside prompts a shift in how you see the world.

• Integrating new meaning — You update your internal “why” to align with new realities.

• Evolving identity — You absorb external input in a way that reshapes who you are and how you’ll approach the future.

Robert Downey Jr.’s post-Iron Man career illustrates both. Externally, he capitalized on the Marvel platform with smart role choices. Internally, he reframed his public identity from “Hollywood cautionary tale” to “creative force and philanthropist,” weaving his hard-earned credibility into every project.

Starbucks, too, has continually adapted both externally and internally. It didn’t just localize menus overseas; it rethought what “the Starbucks experience” meant in cultures with different coffee traditions, integrating those insights back into the brand’s global identity.

Adapt is not “bend so you don’t break.” It’s “absorb, integrate, and evolve,” so that the transformation that follows is authentic, sustainable, and resonant.

Transform: Moving From Brand to Cultural Force

The third stage — Transform — is where a brand transcends category and becomes part of the cultural fabric. This is where a celebrity or brand moves beyond selling products or performances to influencing values, beliefs, and identity.

For example, Oprah Winfrey transformed from talk-show host to cultural institution by consistently connecting her brand to personal growth, empathy, and shared experience. LeBron James transformed from basketball superstar to social advocate and education innovator.

But transformation has a double edge. When celebrity branding becomes about visibility for its own sake, it can erode trust, polarize communities, and hollow out the very connections it set out to build. The EAT Model challenges us to ask: What are we transforming into? Are we creating deeper connection and shared meaning, or reinforcing division and performance over substance?

Why the EAT Model Matters in a Celebrity-Obsessed Age

In today’s world, celebrity branding is not limited to entertainers or athletes. Social media has turned “being a brand” into a cultural expectation. CEOs, educators, nonprofit leaders, and even students are urged to curate their personal brand.

There are benefits to this — clarity, connection, and influence — but also costs, including self-censorship, constant performance, and the pressure to measure worth in clicks and likes.

The EAT Model offers a roadmap for navigating this landscape. It’s not a checklist, but turns thinking about branding and thought leadership into a mindset that recognizes cultural connection as a living, participatory process.

Applying the EAT Model

Whether you’re a celebrity, an emerging entrepreneur, or someone simply looking to build a meaningful personal presence, the EAT Model offers three clear imperatives:

1. Engage — Spark emotional connection that makes people feel seen.

2. Adapt — Balance external responsiveness with internal recalibration, so your evolution is both strategic and authentic.

3. Transform — Create meaning that lasts, shaping not just transactions, but the cultural conversations people care about.

When applied with intention, this framework can help avoid the traps of superficial branding and focus instead on the power of authentic cultural influence.

The Cultural Historian’s Edge

Why approach celebrity branding through a historian’s eyes? Because history reveals the patterns: the way branding has evolved from product marks to cultural symbols, and how engagement, adaptation, and transformation have driven that evolution.

History reveals the patterns: the way branding has evolved from product marks to cultural symbols, and how engagement, adaptation, and transformation have driven that evolution.

From the rise of early consumer icons to global mega-brands, the same cultural mechanics repeat. Understanding these changes allows you to see where branding is going next, not just where it has been.

The EAT Model is my way of translating decades of cultural insight into a tool for today’s world — one that helps us connect, evolve, and lead without losing sight of the values that make connection meaningful in the first place.

For more on the EAT Model and celebrity branding, listen to “Theories of Celebrity Branding” wherever you like to listen to podcasts. Tune in here.

UNPACKING FAME, INFLUENCE, AND IDENTITY: WHY "THEORIES OF CELEBRITY BRANDING" MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER

The intersection of identity, media, and influence isn’t simply noise or distraction—it’s a language. Learning how to decode that language is a critical skill for anyone navigating the modern media ecosystem.

“Theories of Celebrity Branding” — A podcast and university course, hosted by award-winning cultural historian Bob Batchelor

From red carpets to YouTube thumbnails, Super Bowl commercials to podcast interviews, we live in a world shaped by celebrity. We don’t just consume culture—we consume people: their stories, values, failures, and reinventions. This intersection of identity, media, and influence isn’t just noise or distraction—it’s a language. And learning how to decode that language is a critical skill for anyone navigating the modern media ecosystem.

Understanding the value of branding and branding history, I launched Theories of Celebrity Branding, a podcast and online (asynchronous) course designed to explore the cultural machinery behind fame, influence, and branding in the 21st century. Whether you are a college student preparing for a communications career or a seasoned marketer wrestling with the pace of change, this podcast series offers insights into how personal and public identities are built, managed, and monetized today. And, what better way to get at branding and celebrity than to analyze it in an online course.

A Podcast That Decodes the Culture of Celebrity

The podcast version of Theories of Celebrity Branding is not just a catchy way to deliver lectures in an online course —it’s a cultural myth lab.

Each episode explores big ideas about branding, storytelling, media evolution, and leadership through the lens of celebrity. But this isn’t about tabloids or gossip. The podcast focuses on examining why Taylor Swift’s rebranding worked, how Oprah Winfrey built generational trust, and what role AI is playing in shaping how we define identity, authorship, and authenticity.

We tackle topics like:

• The globalization of branding and how companies like Kimberly-Clark reframe messaging for global markets.

• The evolution of thought leadership and how public figures like Brené Brown and LeBron James use storytelling to build emotional resonance.

• The ethics of AI-generated content in a world of deepfakes and algorithmic curation.

• How creators like Cecilia Blomdahl or bands like The Hot Sardines use social platforms to craft global personal brands.

Each episode integrates academic theory with real-world experience—from advising C-suite leaders to writing bestselling books like Stan Lee: A Life, The Gatsby Code, and The Authentic Leader.

The result? A podcast that doesn’t just explain celebrity branding—it empowers you to understand your own story and how to share it effectively.

📚 A Course That Prepares Students for the Real World

While the podcast is open to everyone, it runs parallel to the course I teach at Coastal Carolina University in the Department of Communication, Media, and Culture, also named Theories of Celebrity Branding.

Offered both in summer and in Fall 2025, this class pushes students to think critically about fame, media, influence, and identity. It’s not just theory—it’s strategic communication, media literacy, popular culture, history, marketing, and career development rolled into one.

Students learn to analyze how influence is created and sustained—and how they can develop values-based personal brands of their own.

We dive deep into my EAT Model—Engage, Adapt, Transform—and use tools like ChatGPT and Canva AI to prototype messaging and audience engagement strategies.

Stan Lee: A Life by Bob Batchelor; Foreword by Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 and To The Stars

The course isn’t about using AI to replace creativity—instead we focus on enhancing creation while staying rooted in cultural awareness, storytelling, and human empathy.

Why This Podcast and Course Matters

If you’ve read my books—like The Authentic Leader, Stan Lee: A Life, or Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, the Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties—you know that I’m fascinated by how media, identity, and storytelling shape the modern world. This podcast and class bring those interests to life in real time.

“This podcast doesn’t just explain celebrity branding, it empowers you to understand your own story and how to share it effectively.”

— Bob Batchelor

Today, anyone with a smartphone can become a brand. But that means the ability to think critically about representation, influence, and authenticity is more important than ever.

This project gives students and listeners the tools to navigate—and lead—in this complex space.

What’s Next?

If you’re a student in my class—welcome. This podcast is your toolkit, guide, and creative prompt.

If you’re a communication professional, educator, marketer, or curious listener—Theories of Celebrity Branding will give you an insider view into how cultural identities are formed, challenged, and transformed.

👉 Listen now on Spotify
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👉 Explore upcoming courses at Coastal Carolina
👉 Learn more about me and my books

New episodes drop regularly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.

🎧 Subscribe.
🧠 Think deeply.
📢 Tell your story.
🔥 Lead with purpose.

We’re just getting started.

WRITING TIPS TO BEGIN YOUR BOOK JOURNEY

Every author’s journey begins the same way: with a blank page and a glimmer of an idea. For aspiring nonfiction writers—and anyone who feels the tug of a story inside them—the hardest part is often starting. Whether you are a pop culture aficionado, would-be biographer, or someone drawn to capturing history, there is no perfect moment to begin your book.

You just start.

My own writing journey began in a high school newsroom, writing columns and dreaming of the bylines I might someday see in glossy magazines. I came of age in a college town (Slippery Rock, PA, home of Slippery Rock University) where professors and ideas swirled around me. Writing felt aspirational. A cherished teacher—Martha Campbell—rewarded my hard work with a sports column featuring my work: “Batchelor’s Bench.” I loved writing that column and holding our small high school newspaper in my hands.

As a college student, I sent essays to publications that were way out of my league. The rejections piled up, but the process enabled me to slowly build confidence with each reply—published or not. Every so often, there would be a kind note or something that looked like more than a stamped “rejection.” Those were glorious days!

About a decade later, by the time I wrote The 1900s (Greenwood, 2002), I approached it from a researcher’s mindset. I had yet to fully develop my narrative voice, let alone the courage to let it rise on the page. The 1900s, though, served as a foundation: meticulous research, structural discipline, and an unwavering commitment to learning during the writing process.

Photo by Aneta Pawlik on Unsplash

If you’re just beginning your book journey, here are five essential tips drawn from my own experience:

1. Establish a Writing Rhythm That Works for You

Life is demanding. Your writing process should complement—not fight—your daily responsibilities. Consistency, not volume, builds momentum. Even 20 minutes a day adds up.

2. Start with a Strong Outline

Before I write a word, I create a detailed Table of Contents. For nonfiction, this map is critical. Think deeply about how you plan to open each chapter—those first lines carry a lot of weight.

3. Don’t Believe in Writer’s Block

Writing is work. Work requires discipline. When I feel creative fatigue, I don’t panic. Instead, I switch gears. Reading for pleasure, often on my Kindle, lets me absorb ideas passively and recharges my creative energy.

4. Let Your Curiosity Drive the Research

Even after I have started writing, I keep researching. Every new detail might unlock a better sentence, a sharper insight, or a deeper connection. Curiosity is your most sustainable writing fuel.

5. Experiment with Storytelling Techniques

In The Bourbon King, I explored a postmodern style in one chapter to capture the extravagance of George Remus’ legendary New Year’s Eve party. Creative nonfiction allows room for innovation…even in history-heavy narratives.

The Bourbon King by cultural historian Bob Batchelor

Most importantly, allow yourself time to grow. The voice you find in your first book might surprise you. It should.

To support your own writing journey, keep reading widely and learning from others. Books like The Bourbon King or Stan Lee: A Life can be models—narrative-driven nonfiction that brings culture, history, and people to vivid life. You can find these and other inspiring reads on Amazon and even save a bit with these offers.

Stan Lee: A Life by Bob Batchelor

So what are you waiting for? Open that document. Name your project.

Take the first step. Your book is waiting.

I use Amazon affiliate links on this site—mainly links to books or other cool things. And if you buy via my links, it supports the site with no extra cost to you. This is a contributed post and may contain affiliate links. I was compensated for this post, but reviewed it and regard the article as a natural fit for my readers.