1. John Mackey of Whole Foods Market

Discovering the joy of internet message boards.

Whole Foods' C.E.O. John Mackey spent years sounding off on Yahoo! Financial message boards under a pseudonym— "Rahodeb"—cheerleading for everything from his company's financial results to his own haircut. Mackey's online alter ego was brought to light in July when someone actually read the fine print in a court filing by the Federal Trade Commission.

2. Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank

Doing professional favors for his girlfriend.

Paul Wolfowitz was never very popular as head of the World Bank, so arranging a raise and transfer for his girlfriend, a bank employee, was more than enough ammunition for his colleagues to start agitating for his ouster. After a protracted investigation and Wolfowitz's continued refusal to resign, he finally stepped down in May.

3. Steve Jobs of Apple

Alienating early adopters with an iPhone price cut.

This September, Steve Jobs delivered Apple apostles a swift kick in the pants by slashing $200 off the price of Apple's $600 iPhone just two months after it debuted. After incensed early adopters raised a stink, Jobs tried to win back loyalty by extending a $100 store credit to the suckers—excuse me, consumers—who had paid the higher price.