Usually when we hear horror stories about a manager's behavior, we can easily and honestly say, "I would never do that." But if you, as an organizational leader (or employee), are alienating staff members or causing frustration, stress or confusion that keeps others from giving their best to the company, wouldn’t you want to know? Your effectiveness as a leader depends on it.

Based on both external research and personal experience, here are several typical leader behaviors (as well as a few real doozies) that can irritate the heck out of the people with whom you work. In low-key to moderate cases, employees, and even the leaders, lose time and energy they’d rather spend making the company — and their own job — better. In the mid-range to worst case scenarios, unskillful leader behavior can result in lawsuits, worker’s compensation claims, plummeting productivity, and turnover of employees you’d rather keep onboard.

Which leadership style do you have, and how can you improve upon it? This article article examines nine profiles and provides tips for strengthening opportunities and upgrading weaknesses.