TED Business Why good people become bad bosses | Jamie Woolf and Christopher Bell
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Sep 29, 2025 
In this insightful discussion, leadership experts Jamie Woolf and Christopher Bell explore why even good people can morph into bad bosses. Jamie, renowned for her work on power dynamics, shares her personal journey of realizing her shortcomings as a manager. Christopher tackles the concept of power blindness, illustrating how authority distorts perceptions and silences feedback. Together, they offer practical strategies for nurturing vulnerable leadership and actionable self-reflection exercises to help prevent toxic behaviors in the workplace.
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Surgery Revealed A Toxic Boss
- Jamie Woolf learned she had a truly wretched boss when she welcomed five weeks away for surgery rather than feared it.
- That experience motivated her to avoid making others feel the way she had felt under that boss.
Power Blindness Distorts Leaders' Reality
- Power blindness happens when authority distorts leaders' perception of others' experiences.
- Titles mute feedback and create a reality distortion that hides the harm caused by small dismissals.
Crying Employee Forced Self-Awareness
- Jamie Woolf became a boss and later faced a crying employee who said her stutter worsened under pressure and accused Jamie of favoritism.
- That confrontation exposed Jamie's own power blindness and prompted changes in her behavior.