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How To Suck As A Leader: The Top 15 Mistakes Leaders Make and How To Fix Them
Ever feel like you have no idea what you’re doing as a leader?
Good. That means you’re doing it right.
Leading people isn’t supposed to be easy—it’s supposed to be challenging. And yet, most leadership books act like you just need a 10-step framework and a vision board to become the next great leader. (Spoiler That’s not how it works.)
In How to Suck as a Leader, Travis Dalrymple flips the script on leadership advice. Instead of telling you what to do, he’ll show you what not to do—because sometimes, the best way to learn is by recognizing what terrible leadership actually looks like.
Inside, you’ll
✅ Why leadership feels lonely (and what to do when it does)
✅ The real reason your team’s always confused ( it’s not them, it’s you)
✅ How to stop micromanaging everything—and start building actual trust
✅ Why trying to be “perfect” is killing your progress
✅ A dead-simple framework for giving feedback (without sounding like a jerk)
✅ How to stop burning yourself out and start leading for the long haul
Packed with no-BS advice, real-world stories, and just the right amount of sarcasm, this book is your anti-leadership book—because learning what bad leadership looks like will set you up to actually be great.
Who is this book for? If you’re a new manager, business owner, coach, team leader, or anyone in charge of actual humans, this book is for you. Whether you’ve been leading for five minutes or five years, you’ll walk away with insights that will change the way you lead—without needing to sit through another corporate leadership seminar.
So if you’re ready to stop second-guessing yourself, learn from the mistakes of bad leaders, and start leading with confidence…
Read this book. So you don’t completely suck as a leader.
Good. That means you’re doing it right.
Leading people isn’t supposed to be easy—it’s supposed to be challenging. And yet, most leadership books act like you just need a 10-step framework and a vision board to become the next great leader. (Spoiler That’s not how it works.)
In How to Suck as a Leader, Travis Dalrymple flips the script on leadership advice. Instead of telling you what to do, he’ll show you what not to do—because sometimes, the best way to learn is by recognizing what terrible leadership actually looks like.
Inside, you’ll
✅ Why leadership feels lonely (and what to do when it does)
✅ The real reason your team’s always confused ( it’s not them, it’s you)
✅ How to stop micromanaging everything—and start building actual trust
✅ Why trying to be “perfect” is killing your progress
✅ A dead-simple framework for giving feedback (without sounding like a jerk)
✅ How to stop burning yourself out and start leading for the long haul
Packed with no-BS advice, real-world stories, and just the right amount of sarcasm, this book is your anti-leadership book—because learning what bad leadership looks like will set you up to actually be great.
Who is this book for? If you’re a new manager, business owner, coach, team leader, or anyone in charge of actual humans, this book is for you. Whether you’ve been leading for five minutes or five years, you’ll walk away with insights that will change the way you lead—without needing to sit through another corporate leadership seminar.
So if you’re ready to stop second-guessing yourself, learn from the mistakes of bad leaders, and start leading with confidence…
Read this book. So you don’t completely suck as a leader.
177 pages, Paperback
Published June 5, 2025
38 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Travis Dalrymple
2 books1 followerTravis Dalrymple is a leadership coach, business strategist, and the author of How To Suck As A Leader.
But before coaching business owners and leading multi-million-dollar teams, he was performing on America’s Got Talent, running an international entertainment company, and getting paid $50,000 to perform in Shanghai—all while still in his twenties.
As the CEO of Fighting Gravity, Travis helped build a global touring act that generated over $1.5 million in corporate event revenue, performing for Fortune 500s around the world. After stepping off stage, he transitioned into the fitness industry, scaling an online health coaching business to $30k/month before joining a mentorship company as Director of Customer Success—where he led a team of 10 serving over 300 small business owners, helping grow the company from $3M to nearly $8M annually.
His work blends real-world leadership experience with practical, no-BS coaching for entrepreneurs who are tired of vague advice and corporate jargon. Everything he teaches comes from lived experience—leading teams, managing chaos, and building companies from scratch.
When he’s not writing or coaching, you’ll find him quoting The Office, lifting heavy things, or helping business owners get out of their own way.
But before coaching business owners and leading multi-million-dollar teams, he was performing on America’s Got Talent, running an international entertainment company, and getting paid $50,000 to perform in Shanghai—all while still in his twenties.
As the CEO of Fighting Gravity, Travis helped build a global touring act that generated over $1.5 million in corporate event revenue, performing for Fortune 500s around the world. After stepping off stage, he transitioned into the fitness industry, scaling an online health coaching business to $30k/month before joining a mentorship company as Director of Customer Success—where he led a team of 10 serving over 300 small business owners, helping grow the company from $3M to nearly $8M annually.
His work blends real-world leadership experience with practical, no-BS coaching for entrepreneurs who are tired of vague advice and corporate jargon. Everything he teaches comes from lived experience—leading teams, managing chaos, and building companies from scratch.
When he’s not writing or coaching, you’ll find him quoting The Office, lifting heavy things, or helping business owners get out of their own way.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 7, 2025
How to Suck as a Leader by Travis Dalrymple
The best way to understand how to be a great leader is to tell you what not to do. This book by Travis does exactly that. It guides readers through the top 15 mistakes leaders make and provides guidance on how to rectify them.
It's undoubtedly one of the most witty, entertaining, and applicable books I've ever read. The author's humor and honesty in sharing his struggle with becoming a great leader make it more relatable to the reader. At the core of this book, the author believes leadership is innate to every human being, but most people have no clue how to cultivate it to make their teams great.
🤔 My thoughts on this book
I never thought I would find myself leading people, but the more I invest my time and energy in my entrepreneurial journey, the more I find myself having to lead people, which is something my mind cannot yet fully grasp. This book comes at a point in my life where leadership is becoming increasingly more relevant for the success of my ideas and projects. Without a great team supporting you, you can't succeed. Great ideas require great people, and great people deserve a great leader. I found
I found this book easy to access, straightforward, with no jargon, just practical tools and tips to start turning yourself into the best leader possible.
"Why should I read this book❓"
If you lead a team of people or know your life's trajectory is leading you to become a leader, then you better start working on your leadership skills as soon as possible. There is no denying that they matter, and this book will show you how to improve them by showcasing what a bad leader does!
The best way to understand how to be a great leader is to tell you what not to do. This book by Travis does exactly that. It guides readers through the top 15 mistakes leaders make and provides guidance on how to rectify them.
It's undoubtedly one of the most witty, entertaining, and applicable books I've ever read. The author's humor and honesty in sharing his struggle with becoming a great leader make it more relatable to the reader. At the core of this book, the author believes leadership is innate to every human being, but most people have no clue how to cultivate it to make their teams great.
🤔 My thoughts on this book
I never thought I would find myself leading people, but the more I invest my time and energy in my entrepreneurial journey, the more I find myself having to lead people, which is something my mind cannot yet fully grasp. This book comes at a point in my life where leadership is becoming increasingly more relevant for the success of my ideas and projects. Without a great team supporting you, you can't succeed. Great ideas require great people, and great people deserve a great leader. I found
I found this book easy to access, straightforward, with no jargon, just practical tools and tips to start turning yourself into the best leader possible.
"Why should I read this book❓"
If you lead a team of people or know your life's trajectory is leading you to become a leader, then you better start working on your leadership skills as soon as possible. There is no denying that they matter, and this book will show you how to improve them by showcasing what a bad leader does!
August 8, 2025
It provides 15 ways that show what bad leaders do. For me, the big ones that resonated with me are:
- not focusing on their health
I run to work, so this shows my coworkers that I’m prioritizing my health.
Focus on your health and you’ll lead more efficiently
- not taking breaks
Have your team not rely on you. Have them problem solve the situation. This is only going to help bench your team and make you realize who will take the appropriate position when the leader leaves.
- Not learning
We don’t know everything. Especially about leadership. It’s a concept that’s rarely or if at all talked about.
- it’s a hard concept to grasp, but a concept that needs to be applied to the place you work at. I run a bookstore, so I’m constantly learning how I can lead better.
- not focusing on their health
I run to work, so this shows my coworkers that I’m prioritizing my health.
Focus on your health and you’ll lead more efficiently
- not taking breaks
Have your team not rely on you. Have them problem solve the situation. This is only going to help bench your team and make you realize who will take the appropriate position when the leader leaves.
- Not learning
We don’t know everything. Especially about leadership. It’s a concept that’s rarely or if at all talked about.
- it’s a hard concept to grasp, but a concept that needs to be applied to the place you work at. I run a bookstore, so I’m constantly learning how I can lead better.
August 12, 2025
An incredibly digestible, straight-to-the-point overview of what makes an effective leader. Great read for new leaders getting ready for their first role in leadership as well as seasoned leaders looking to keep their approach to leadership relevant and honed in.
September 1, 2025
I am sure I am not the only one that was drawn to this book via its counterintuitive and attention catching title.
Travis Dalrymple brings a fresh twist to leadership and management insights — and he does it exceptionally well.
As he says right up front, he wrote the book to meet the “reader where they’re at” (versus a lot of long-winded theory) and in a manner that is more conversational to the point where you feel like you’re having an engaging discussion vs. reading a book. And he does a great job of it, too. The style reminded me of another recent terrific leadership book I read with a similar and engaging approach, Authentic Sales Leadership: Proven Tactics to Build and Lead Championship Teams, but better organized.
As I began each chapter, the book often reminded me of a former boss that would make The Office’s Michael Scott seem competent. It was early in my career and with my first “big” and respected company as a sales rep in a distant outpost for the firm. This manager, I later learned, had been given the assignment to get him as far away as possible from the company’s HQ (on the opposite coast). So, his boss demonstrated some poor leadership as well by “passing the trash” vs. dealing with the issue. And did he ever suck as a leader. That said, I’ve always appreciated that he was a great example for me on what not to do. LOL.
This book is a great read even for someone as late in their career as me. I’ve encountered many of these concepts before but Dalrymple gives them a fresh and modern take. And his illustrative stories from his own experiences are both interesting, engaging, relatable, and really well told.
I’ll be recommending this book often — not only to those earlier in their careers, but also to fellow leaders and HR colleagues — because it’s a terrific playbook that pulls together the key principles of what it takes to be a strong, standout leader.
Bonus, I discovered (very late) Fighting Gravity, the author’s amazing live performance act which he was a part of while in. college and became the CEO of its successful run. which you can watch on YouTube here. .
a final note and disclosure I received the book as a gift but with no expectation of a review. It’s a great read though so I definitely wanted to share with a review.
Travis Dalrymple brings a fresh twist to leadership and management insights — and he does it exceptionally well.
As he says right up front, he wrote the book to meet the “reader where they’re at” (versus a lot of long-winded theory) and in a manner that is more conversational to the point where you feel like you’re having an engaging discussion vs. reading a book. And he does a great job of it, too. The style reminded me of another recent terrific leadership book I read with a similar and engaging approach, Authentic Sales Leadership: Proven Tactics to Build and Lead Championship Teams, but better organized.
As I began each chapter, the book often reminded me of a former boss that would make The Office’s Michael Scott seem competent. It was early in my career and with my first “big” and respected company as a sales rep in a distant outpost for the firm. This manager, I later learned, had been given the assignment to get him as far away as possible from the company’s HQ (on the opposite coast). So, his boss demonstrated some poor leadership as well by “passing the trash” vs. dealing with the issue. And did he ever suck as a leader. That said, I’ve always appreciated that he was a great example for me on what not to do. LOL.
This book is a great read even for someone as late in their career as me. I’ve encountered many of these concepts before but Dalrymple gives them a fresh and modern take. And his illustrative stories from his own experiences are both interesting, engaging, relatable, and really well told.
I’ll be recommending this book often — not only to those earlier in their careers, but also to fellow leaders and HR colleagues — because it’s a terrific playbook that pulls together the key principles of what it takes to be a strong, standout leader.
Bonus, I discovered (very late) Fighting Gravity, the author’s amazing live performance act which he was a part of while in. college and became the CEO of its successful run. which you can watch on YouTube here. .
a final note and disclosure I received the book as a gift but with no expectation of a review. It’s a great read though so I definitely wanted to share with a review.
August 9, 2025
I'm generally unemployable, having been running my own business for several years now and not having had a boss for going on three years. BUT...that being said, I'd ABSOLUTELY want to work for someone like Travis, and I thought his book was wonderful.
It truly does feel like a private, office conversation with someone who's experienced and worldly and who genuinely wants the best for you. The best leadership books are like that, the best LEADERS are like that, and this is one book that I can now highly recommend.
It truly does feel like a private, office conversation with someone who's experienced and worldly and who genuinely wants the best for you. The best leadership books are like that, the best LEADERS are like that, and this is one book that I can now highly recommend.
September 18, 2025
Extremely Basic Information/Merely a review
This book was a quick read, and it is very basic.. It was basically a review. I 3 starred with a struggle,,, I did not a few tips I picked up..
This book was a quick read, and it is very basic.. It was basically a review. I 3 starred with a struggle,,, I did not a few tips I picked up..
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews