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10 Famously Bad Bosses
By Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com
From Mr. Scrooge to Mr. Burns and "Office Space" to "The Office," the bad boss is one of the most common Hollywood archetypes. Oftentimes, the outrageous demands, unbelievably overblown egos and sadistic natures that typify these characters amuse because they seem too outlandish to be believed. But when life imitates art, it's not so fun for the employees who must put up with such behavior. Take a look at some notorious real-life bad bosses and see how they compare to those of the fantasy world.
Real-life boss: Naomi Campbell
This trendsetter started the telephone-as-an-assault-weapon craze way before Russell Crowe made headlines with his infamous hotel tantrum. In 1998, Campbell pleaded guilty to hitting a former personal assistant with a telephone, after which she agreed to take anger management classes. In 2001, another personal assistant claimed her boss threw a mobile phone at her, a charge the notably temperamental supermodel denies. Most recently in March 2006, Campbell was arrested for, according to police, throwing a cell phone at her housekeeper, striking the back of her head, and opening a cut that needed four staples to close.
Reel-life counterpart: Dr. Evil, "Austin Powers"
Much like being a supermodel, taking over the world seems like a glamorous job, but so few people actually understand the pressures that go along with it. Aspiring world-dominator Dr. Evil makes some interesting demands, like requiring his evil staff members to produce ill-tempered sea bass with laser beams attached to their heads. Naturally, when his wishes aren't granted, he lets his annoyance get the best of him, firing and often torturing the worker responsible. Who else but Campbell, who has fired several employees in the past few years and whose rage led to a violent run-in with at least one, understands how hard it is to find good help these days?
Real-life boss: Leona Helmsley
Dubbed "Queen of Mean" by the media, Helmsley was infamous for her gross mistreatment of employees at the Helmsley hotel chains nationwide and even more notorious for being a perfectionist. In addition to verbally abusing and firing employees for the slightest infractions, she also extorted money from both workers and business associates by threatening to sever pay or business relations. As powerful as she was intimidating, Helmsley often got away with this behavior, although it eventually led to her downfall.
Reel-life counterpart: Miranda Priestly, 'The Devil Wears Prada'
The fictional head of a Vogue-like fashion publication, Priestly has unattainably high standards for perfection and, like Helmsley, routinely and shamelessly bullies employees and business associates alike, striking fear in the hearts of all who cross her path.
Real-life boss: Donald Trump
Spectacular businessman, yes. Boss of the Year? Not likely. Think about it: Would you want to work for someone who has turned his reputation for firing employees in front of a national audience into an outrageous marketing gimmick?
Reel-life counterpart: Montgomery Burns, "The Simpsons"
Both Trump and Mr. Burns built a fortune after following in their fathers' career footsteps, made a return from bankruptcy, and are probably worth more money than all of their employees combined. Heck, there's even a bespectacled right-hand man, Waylon Smithers, who serves as the George H. Ross to Burns' Trump. And although he has yet to host his own television show, Burns isn't above deriving pleasure from routinely firing employees.
Real-life boss: Ken Lay
The former head of Enron continually reassured employees that the company's financial security was in tact when he knew the opposite was true. Aware that Enron's liquidity was not nearly as "strong" as he purposely described it, Lay sold 918,000 shares of company stock from August through the end of October 2001.
Reel-life counterpart: Gordon Gekko, "Wall Street"
Ken Lay epitomizes today what Gordon Gekko symbolized in the '80s: the high cost of greed. In "Wall Street," stock market big shot Gekko is only out to serve and save himself. He involves himself in a deal that will cost thousands of people their jobs. Like Lay, Gekko is well-aware that so many jobs are in jeopardy, but only acts to cover his own misdealing in hopes that someone else will take the legal and financial fall down the road.
Real-life boss: Jim Bakker
In 1987, the high-profile television evangelist and owner of the hugely-successfully PTL ("Praise the Lord") Network was living with his wife at a level of luxury highly unusual for the head of a non-profit corporation. Their assets included annual salaries of $200,000 each, a $600,000 house in Palm Springs, four condominiums in California and a Rolls Royce. When accounting books surfaced that revealed that Bakker was illegally keeping a large share of the company's income for himself, he was indicted for tax fraud; however, not before the public learned that the Christian leader had paid off a former secretary to keep quiet about their adulterous affair.
Reel-life counterpart: Warden Norton, "The Shawshank Redemption"
Warden Norton, the Bible-quoting head of the Shawshank prison, turns out to be as morally corrupt as many of the inmates he watches over. Hiring inmate Andy Dufrene to do his dirty work, Norton, like Bakker, manipulates his company's accounts in a way that leaves a hefty payoff for himself, while buying his employees' silence. But whereas Bakker offered his secretary cash, Norton ensures Dufrene's loyalty with the (empty) promise of freedom.
Mary Lorenz is a special contributor to CareerBuilder.com.
Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.
