Are You a Toxic Leader?

Right out of school, my first job was the stuff of horrors. I stepped from college to working for a manufacturer. My boss was moody and, if that alone wasn’t enough, he was also a yeller, swearer and the president’s son. Forgive my language but he was just an ass. One day, I told a friend that I was going to stroll down to the president’s office and tell him his son was a jerk. My friend told me the president would probably agree with me. After all, he had to know his kid pretty well, right? But, my friend reminded me I would probably be fired, regardless. 

In the nine months I endured this toxic environment, three of my good team members quit the company. Of the many surveys our firm has conducted, we have learned that people may join an organizations, but they absolutely leave because of the relationship they have with their managers.

There are so many ways corporate relationships can be disharmonious; In one study, 94 percent of the participants stated they had worked at one time or another with an individual who created a toxic work environment. One employee we were interviewing  told us that working at his corporation was almost like a religious experience. When I asked him to elaborate, he said, “With this new boss, it feels like I’m working in hell.”

When it comes to toxic work environments and who causes them, we’ve concluded the majority of examples revolve around senior management or a boss, but it can be a peer, co-worker, or even customers. What are the behaviors that are demonstrated in organizations that lead to toxic work environments? Here’s just a sample of what we’ve seen:

• Moody and unpredictable responses
• Communicating in a style that leaves people unpleasantly emotional
• CYA focus mixed with finger-pointing
• Talking about others behind their back
• Dishonest communication – saying one thing to one person and something different to another
• Bullying or abusive behaviors like yelling or swearing
• Unreasonable or excessive demands…and then threatening people if the demands are not met
• Vague, unclear expectations impossible to complete
• Team members are not held accountable to equal standards, either in their results or in the way they treat others
• Feedback is not appreciated, accepted or acted upon
• When feedback is provided, it is almost always negative

When the individuals responsible for the toxic environment  are not held accountable for their destructive behaviors, the organization almost always experiences greater turnover. Unfortunately, the turnover is almost never the toxic person who leaves, but the best performers who have the greatest number of viable alternatives. This leaves the people who poison the environment, and the people who put up with it because they don’t see themselves as having a better option.

On the other hand, just because an employee is unhappy with their boss or job doesn’t mean that the environment is toxic. For example, we recently interviewed an employee who described her work environment as toxic. When we asked for details, it became apparent that she had a new boss and, for the first time, was being held accountable for her performance and results. Her new boss had even changed the employee’s work hours to ensure there was more oversight of the employee’s work and greater opportunity to coach her. This is not a toxic environment, but an example of great leadership and doing the right thing.

For those employees trapped in a genuinely horrific environment, here’s some advice for turning a toxic work environment into a great place where employees love coming to work.

Deal with the real problem: The individual evading accountability for their negative actions must be addressed by someone with the power to change the situation. The toxic individual’s boss needs to tell the toxic carrier that if they don’t change, they won’t be able to continue working at the organization. 

Hire an Executive Coach: When someone has been allowed to negatively impact an entire workgroup or culture, it’s difficult for them to change their communication and leadership style. Most often, they’re going to need additional help in developing the strategies and actions to make a positive turnaround.

Set a specific time frame for the change: Occasionally, management can successfully implement positive changes immediately! But sometimes they may put it off so long that it never happens. Sometimes the toxic individual quickly changes and exhibits new behaviors; other times they leave, claiming that they can’t work in the new environment; and yet others get fired. When you’re clear on the time frame and stick to it, the change will be successful.

Tell the truth:  Because toxic employees are usually high performers or are highly valued for their knowledge, people are hesitant to tell them the truth. They’re fearful of upsetting them, or fear that they might even quit if they heard the truth. The toxic contributor needs to hear the truth and know that changing their demeanor and approach is now a condition of employment.

Conduct an Employee Opinion Survey: An Employee Opinion Survey that breaks out the data by leader or department will give you a strong indicator of employee satisfaction levels in different areas within the organization,  helping you gain valuable insights about your organization’s culture – department by department.

Utilize a 360 Leadership Development Assessment: Many times, toxic environments are exposed after an organization has conducted an Employee Engagement Survey, but often isn’t enough motivation to dig in deep and address those issues. A Leadership Development Assessment (360) has a much stronger chance for success in providing specific feedback that will motivate the leader to create an action plan and change.

No one wants to go to work if it causes undue stress, anger, or misery. If you’re a leader in your organization, you can supply the antidote! Use the above steps to take action and provide the best, most productive, most enjoyable environment for your employees.