October 23, 2025

The $2.5M CEO Problem: Why Leaders Who Make Millions Create Employees Who Quit | Mita Mallick

43 minutes

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In this episode of Finding Peak, Ryan Hanley sits down with Mita Mallick, USA Today bestselling author of The Devil Emails at Midnight, to expose the leadership crisis driving the Great Resignation.

The conversation cuts through the corporate BS to reveal why employees aren't just leaving for better pay—they're fleeing leaders who demand sacrifice while hoarding wealth and refusing to show basic human decency.

Connect with Mita Millick

The Devil Emails at Midnight: https://amzn.to/3Wjk2bw

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822/

Website: https://www.mitamallick.com/

Key Insights:

The compensation hypocrisy is killing companies. CEOs making $50-70 million are laying off thousands of employees instead of taking reasonable pay cuts. Mallick and Hanley dissect how this wealth gap destroys trust and drives top talent out the door. When leaders won't sacrifice anything but expect employees to sacrifice everything, loyalty evaporates.

Bad bosses are manufactured by broken systems. Mallick reveals the three moments that create toxic leaders: environmental stress (tariffs, economic uncertainty), leadership emulation (new managers copying bad behavior because it's all they know), and personal crises (grief, divorce, illness) that leaders try to compartmentalize but can't. The system creates these monsters, then acts surprised when employees quit.

"Healthy vulnerability" vs. "toxic vulnerability" is the line between trust and manipulation. Leaders who admit they don't have all the answers build loyalty. Leaders who weaponize their personal problems to justify abusive behavior destroy teams. Mallick explains how to spot the difference and what to do when your boss crosses that line.

Flexibility isn't charity—it's competitive advantage. Hanley shares how he built a powerhouse team by hiring talented mothers other companies threw away because they couldn't punch a time card from 8:30 to 4:30. These women outperformed everyone because they were given autonomy and trust. Meanwhile, rigid leaders are bleeding talent and wondering why.

The Great Resignation is a leadership referendum. Employees aren't leaving jobs—they're leaving leaders who treat them like disposable resources while enriching themselves. The data is clear: people will tolerate a lot, but they won't tolerate hypocrisy and disrespect forever.

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By Ryan Hanley, Bleav

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