The people that makes for a bad team member has nothing to do with their skill but has everything to do with their inner humanbeing. If they’re a bad person to begin with, you betcha they’re gonna be a terrible person to work with especially in a creative environment. The characters all have some fundamental flaw that makes them a terrible humanbeing. I included some tips on how to deal with them.

Enemy #1: Hot Air Blowers (HABs)
They talk and articulate pretty well in the business world. They enunciate their words and use appropriate hand movements when telling a story. They’re great as presenters. The problem in a creative environment is that it’s all about the output. No amount of talk is going to create a great design. When HABs head a group the projects usually fall to shit, as they will only give you abstract directions of fluff. HABs often come with an MBA stapled to their ass or a made-up masters like “Master of Design Methods”. They actually believe that their fancy schooling justifies their pay and position. The arrogant talk hurts your eyes becaues they’re so tired from rolling back all the time.
Solution: Don’t listen to a damn word they’re saying. Don’t let their bullshit taint your brain. Practice sifting through their BS for any useful information.

Enemy #2: Promise Breakers
I worked my ass off for the promotion and title upgrade. Running projects and doing part of her job. I made her look damn good. That manager didn’t fight for my promotion when the time came and broke that promise. She was preparing to leave the company and went into “not my problem” mode. Later I heard she had some disease that lacks empathy for other humans. Some people in management just don’t really care about your career.
Solution: Follow up, follow up, follow up. Make sure that people who make you a promise stick to their promise. In this case I should’ve taken my own career by the balls. I should’ve brought this up to people three levels above me. I should’ve done this sooner than later, I waited til my yearly review. If they value your work they’ll give it to you.

Enemy #3: Passionless Drainers
I have no idea how passionless people get into positions of leadership. They just don’t care, no heart in their soul. They command a team but work for the paycheck. This is absolutely demoralizing to the rest of the team.
Solution: Try to infuse energy from the ground up. If you don’t have the passion, who will? If they remain passionless and lead a soulless life, that’s their problem. Fight to keep yours.

Enemy #4: Idea Stealers
I worked with a guy who would repeat someone else’s idea in a brainstorm a few minutes later, but reworded differently and claiming it as their own. I talked to my dad who was in the corporate space for awhile and he called them “Idea Stealers”. They do extremely well in a corporate environment because Idea Stealers are smart enough to recognize good ideas and will run to the right people to tell them the stolen ideas. Many of them do make it up to the leadership level where they plateau and just stop doing anything turning into Passionless Drainers.
Solution: Don’t give any ideas around these people. Try to work in an environment where you are comfortable sharing ideas. Learn from their mistake and give credit where credit is due.

Enemy #5: Ender Uppers
Some people in management ended up there because top management kept leaving. They never climbed the corporate ladder, they just waited until everyone fell off the rungs above them. They don’t have the technical skills to do the job, are not creative, can’t recognize talent, and have no leadership skills. They literally just showed up everyday and ended up in a position of power.
Solution: Don’t look up to them. Just remember that some people rise to power because they just waited in line, just like a Disneyland ride. It doesn’t mean they deserve your respect or their answers are right.

I have a few more people that I find difficult working with I’ll just name them and liste them below:
Johnny Twoface – They lie to your face and talk behind your back. They show a good side to management and throw you under the bus. You gotta just call them out.
Delusional Pursuers – Failure is as only good as the lessons learned. Their ego and lack of humility convinces them that they can do anything and so they fail often, but those same traits prevents them from learning anything.
Reckless Waster– Wastes company resources, careless about finances, doles out busywork.
Power Hungry Hippo– They’re passion isn’t design and the act of creation but alterior motives of success and fortune. No good in a team, no good for humanity.
Mind Lockdowner – They are completely set in their ways and you have to fight tooth and nail to convince them otherwise. They should not be working in a creative environment.
The Forgetters – They will just completely forget what they were supposed to be doing.
Change Haters – Usually of the older variety, they hate new ideas and embrace the status quo.