950: Dr. Karen Hills Pruden: What Bad Bosses Teach Us About Great Leadership

Update: 2025-07-29

Description

Having a boss who causes harm or holds leadership values that clash with yours is rarely a positive experience. But time and again, I’ve seen how negative role models can motivate people to lead better and do better. Poor leadership often sparks a commitment to do things differently and more effectively as we grow. So maybe, in the long run, even bad leaders leave us with something valuable?

When I learned of Dr. Karen Hills Pruden’s work in leadership, partly inspired by her experience of having endured two incompetent leaders in close succession, I was eager to hear her story and learn from her. In this episode, she shares her incredibly valuable lessons learned.

Dr. Pruden is the CEO of Pruden Global Business Solutions Consulting (PGBSC), a premier professional development and leadership training company. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Pruden has created trademarked frameworks that drive transformational change for leaders and organizations worldwide. PGBSC programs are built on powerful, proven methodologies, including the Amplify Your Value framework, which helps leaders leverage their expertise to advance; the LPT (Learn, Practice, Teach) framework, designed to create a continuous cycle of learning and growth; and the PE (Professional Equity) framework, which empowers professionals to convert their experience into measurable business success. Pruden Global specializes in cultivating leadership excellence, ensuring that our clients are not only seen and heard but also positioned to make a lasting impact. Dr. Pruden is a Bestselling Author, published over 30 times, a sought-after Global Leadership Speaker, and a guest on radio, podcasts, and television.

Listen in to hear Karen share:

What women really need to make the leap into the C-suite, and how women sell themselves short when reaching for C-suite roles

What she learned about the “Dos and Don’ts of Leadership” after having two incompetent leaders in two years

Her philosophy that “silence is not a superpower” and how to use your voice in strategic ways when you’re working under an ineffective or incompetent leader

How to maintain your professional integrity and motivation when faced with leadership that doesn’t align with your organization’s values or your own leadership standards