I came across a couple of well-known quotations and thought about how well they describe what most of us think of as bad managers, and Deming's contention that American managers get paid to make things worse. I went searching for a few more, and came up with the following list:
“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” John Bright
"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." Abraham Lincoln
"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." Samuel Johnson
"He had delusions of adequacy." Walter Kerr
"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." Robert Redford
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." Oscar Wilde
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." Andrew Lang
"His mind is so open - so open that ideas simply pass through it." F. H. Bradley
"[He is] The only genius with an IQ of 60." Gore Vidal
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Oscar Wilde
“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” John Bright
"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." Abraham Lincoln
"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." Samuel Johnson
"He had delusions of adequacy." Walter Kerr
"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." Robert Redford
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." Oscar Wilde
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." Andrew Lang
"His mind is so open - so open that ideas simply pass through it." F. H. Bradley
"[He is] The only genius with an IQ of 60." Gore Vidal
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Oscar Wilde