Or, you may have learned a lot of bad habits. Local stations, like many other industries, are notorious for caring a lot more about product than people. Managers often get little training, and use the trial and error method to discover what works. Typically, the General Manager manages mostly down, as do most Station Managers. They may also manage each other.
Producers manage up and down.
The degree to which depends upon the newsroom. If you want to be an AND, EP or ME, you may think you need to emulate the News Director. What you really want to learn is how to manage down. Here are two different generalizations of successful management styles. This station could be a very open environment that encourages internal growth and the sharing of ideas and allows manager to make and learn from mistakes.