Partnering Leadership 408 The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses with Mita Mallik
What if the “panic habits” leaders default to are the very things burning out their best people? In this Partnering Leadership episode, Mita Mallick—author of The Devil Emails at Midnight—joins Mahan to unpack practical ways senior leaders can replace performative urgency with clear operating rules that people can trust. You will hear why bad bosses are made, not born, and how pressure from markets, role models, and personal crises can turn ordinary leaders into micromanagers.
Mita gets specific about power dynamics. A 4:30 a.m. email from the CEO trains teams to jump, even when the intent is “no rush.” She explains how to set explicit after-hours rules and model them yourself. The goal is to stop the 4 a.m. back-and-forth and restore predictable rhythms for high-stakes work.
Calendars signal culture. Mita argues for a deliberate meeting cleanse, real breaks, and protected one-on-ones. You will hear why “we are not AI agents,” why canceling a meeting can be the kindest move you make this week, and how simple touch points create loyalty.
Leaders also get a playbook for honest feedback. Mita shares how to create safety, why alumni calls six to twelve months after someone leaves yield the most actionable insight, and how a short journaling habit helps you see patterns in your own behavior before they damage trust.
Finally, Mita challenges a core assumption: most work is not life or death. Treating it that way creates burnout. She closes with a frank read on the broken employee–employer contract and a likely shift toward more consultant-style work, which makes clarity, expectations, and operating rules even more important for CEOs and boards.
Actionable Takeaways
- You will learn how to set a clear after-hours rule that stops the 4 a.m. reply spiral, including what “urgent” actually means in your context.
- Hear how to replace micromanagement with outcomes and guardrails when life outside work feels out of control.
- You will learn why your calendar is your culture, and how a simple meeting cleanse reveals time for deep work and real one-on-ones.
- Hear how to protect one-on-ones without turning them into therapy. Mita shares a practical cadence and a simple check-in script that builds connection.
- You will learn a low-cost feedback system: invite coaching, thank in the moment, follow up with changes, and never hunt “who said what.”
- Hear how to get clearer truth with alumni calls six to twelve months after exit interviews, when the emotion is gone and facts are usable.
- You will learn to write simple hybrid rules that reduce proximity bias and make global teams feel fair and seen.
- Hear how to reset leader expectations about urgency and burnout, starting with this line: “Most of our work is not life or death.”
- You will learn why culture becomes the worst behavior you tolerate and how to intervene when disengagement starts to spiral.
- Hear how to prepare for a future with looser roles and project-based deployment, and why clarity and operating rules will be your retention edge.
Connect with Mita Mallick
The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses
Connect with Mahan Tavakoli: