You know the type. They stride into Slack meetings with the confidence of someone who's solved world hunger. They promise transformation, disruption, innovation. They use phrases like 'game-changing' and 'paradigm shift' without irony. Headset always on, ready to pontificate.
Then six months later, you realize the only deliverable was a 47-slide PowerPoint deck that nobody read.
We interviewed teams who've worked under these leaders. The pattern is always the same: big promises in town halls, vague action items in follow-ups, and eventually silence as everyone quietly moves on to the next big initiative.
Here's what we learned: these leaders aren't necessarily malicious. They genuinely believe their own hype. They confuse enthusiasm with execution. They think inspiring speeches are the same as actual strategy.
The real victims? The teams who get excited, work overtime on projects that go nowhere, and slowly realize their leader has no idea how to turn vision into reality.
One employee told us: 'After the third reorg in two years, I stopped listening to the inspiring speeches and just focused on my actual work.' Smart strategy.
The lesson: If someone promises to revolutionize everything, ask them for the project plan. If they get defensive, you have your answer.