Manager behavior

Manager Red Flags Activity Book

Coloring Scenes and Worksheets for Spotting Trouble Before the Resignation

By Jon Orozco

Move from an uneasy impression to a documented pattern you can raise through the appropriate workplace process.

In development

This title is being developed. The sample below introduces the current manuscript; release details may change.

Try a sample situation

Who this is for

HR professionals, senior managers, and employees who report to a difficult boss.

Something about a manager’s behavior keeps troubling you. Is it an isolated moment or a pattern, and what should you record?

The current manuscript includes 20 practice situations, reflective coloring plates, and 16 practical tools.

Why this book exists

Labels can hide the behavior that needs attention. This activity book helps you practice recognizing patterns, recording specifics, and choosing an appropriate next step.

What you’ll practice

01Read the Weather
Trouble rarely arrives as a scandal. It arrives as quiet. This part trains your eye for silence, side channels, and a dashboard that looks a little too clean.
02The Five Signals
Leadership drift has five signals: inconsistency, retaliation, trust erosion, avoidance, and identity-based leadership. Learn to spot each one by what people do, not by how you feel about the manager.
03Five Faces of Manager Risk
Five manager profiles show up again and again. Each began as a strength, and none is a villain. Use them as a map to predict the next move, never as a label to stick on a person.
04Name It, Record It, Act
Spotting a flag is half the work. This part covers the phrases that keep trouble in place, how to write down what happened, how to open the conversation, when to call HR or counsel, and how trust comes back.

Try a sample situation from the book

The quiet meeting

You lead the department above a team that meets weekly. Today the meeting ended eleven minutes early. Nobody pushed back, nobody asked a question, and you walked out pleased.

What might that quiet mean?

Agreement. The plan was good, so I will take the win.
Caution. People may have learned that honesty costs something, so I will check.
Tiredness. I will send the team a cheerful note.

Make your call, then read the field note

Silence is data. A quiet room can mean agreement, or it can mean people learned that speaking up costs something. Look at what changed, not only what you heard.

Try this next: Ask two people one-on-one what the team avoids saying in meetings, and write down what you hear.

Practice with fictional details. This excerpt offers general education, not legal, financial, or clinical advice. Use approved workplace processes and qualified support for real cases.

Tools you can return to

Your 30-day red flag plan
The early signs list
The twelve month timeline
Pattern or bad day?
The weekly stability check
The leadership drift audit
Three instances, in plain facts
Red flag bingo
The dated facts log
The after a concern check
Conversation prep
The repair planner
Twelve checks after the talk
The phrase swap log
If your boss is the problem
Twelve weeks of steady habits

Put the practice to work

Choose one situation that resembles the work you face. Make your call, compare it with the worked example, and identify what you would change. Take one useful move into your next assignment, conversation, or team discussion.

Discuss a team learning session →

A book supports practice. For an active workplace issue, follow your organization’s process and seek appropriate professional guidance.

Keep exploring

Write It Down

Turn vague employee notes into factual records with context, the employee’s account, and a clear follow-up.

Solo HR

Move competing requests out of your head and into a visible case queue with priorities, owners, and next steps.

Promoted Over Your Peers

Move from coworker to supervisor with clear boundaries, consistent work decisions, and conversations you have practiced.