How to Not Suck as a Manager: Real Stories | Real Mistakes | Real Ways to get Better

Ever had a boss who made you dread Monday mornings? This book exists because every one of us who has been on the receiving end of bad management has made the same quiet promise: I want to be better than that.

How to Not Suck as a Manager is a guide to becoming a better leader, not through platitudes, but through the hard work of honest self-reflection. The gap between what we know and what we do under pressure-that's where bad management lives, and that's where this book meets you.

Whether you're stepping into your first leadership role or have managed people for years, this book will help you recognize the habits that quietly undermine great management—and replace them with practical behaviors that build trust, accountability, and high-performing teams. Inside it has:

• Real-world stories from various industries that make organizational behavior theories both relatable and actionable.
• A self-assessment tool designed to pinpoint your specific leadership blind spots and tendencies.1
• Actionable exercises to help you move beyond reactive habits and practice intentional, sustainable leadership.

Stop leading by accident. Use this book to build the self-awareness, emotional discipline, and resilience required to cultivate a healthier workplace for the people around you.

What Leaders in their Industry are saying:
A compelling, timely, and highly readable roadmap to creating better managers, this book by Dr Prisant masterfully shows you how. To be sure, it is an indispensable book for new supervisors and managers about how to be more effective at work, even in the early days of their new role, but it is also an important guide for organizational leaders, HR professionals, and OD practitioners committed to ensuring that their first-line leaders are well equipped to create safe, fair, and more productive organizations from the get-go.

– Teresa A Daniel, JD, PhD Dean, HR Leadership Programs, Sullivan University & Author of “Toxic Leaders & Tough Bosses, Organizational Guardrails to keep High Performers on Track”


Ashley has created a rare leadership resource that bridges the gap between theory and real-world application. Through memorable archetypes, practical frameworks, and relatable stories, she makes complex human dynamics both accessible and actionable. Whether you're a leader, coach, HR professional, or trusted advisor, this book will deepen your self-awareness, enhance your understanding of others, and equip you with the tools to create greater impact.
- Alicia D. Reece, Fortune 500 Executive Coach & Author

Where was HTNSAM when I started my career? This book could have saved me so much headache and trauma. It’s a gem, something that opens your mind to the simple delight of what makes you tick and how you can be the best boss possible. The tips, the signals, the ways to avoid the traps… and the way the authors break down boss archetypes using animals is brilliant. If you’re tired of learning what number or color someone is, you can finally view types through the much better metaphors of animal types and instincts. I highly highly recommend this book for anyone in management or aspiring to be.
· Rick Brown, CEO of MarketStorm


This book offers highly practical leadership archetypes that stick, with clear, memorable frameworks leaders can apply immediately! The supporting stories are expertly chosen and powerfully told, making the concepts resonate and deepening self-awareness. A valuable tool for anyone serious about intentional leadership growth. An absolute must read for all levels of leadership!
- Elizabeth Porter, President, Entertainment Health Services