Two decades later, my non-scientific observation based on years of experience working with leaders, is that Bully Bosses tend to be leaders who escalated into leadership early in their careers and didn’t go through some of the formative experiences other leaders go through – the ups and downs, failures and successes, frustrations and triumphs, that forge character and solidify values. What’s more, they haven’t spent very much time working for other people and experiencing what it’s like to be the employee, working for a boss.