A few weeks ago we conducted a survey on LinkedIn in which we asked our followers: "Have you ever felt that your company or work team resembles a cult?" To our surprise (although we were aware that there would be positive responses) "Yes" (74%) reigned with an overwhelming majority as opposed to "No" (26%).
This made us reflect on the current presence of toxic leadership in companies.
In toxic leadership, negative tactics and behaviors are used that harm team members or even the organization as a whole.
These leaders may abuse their power, be manipulative, intimidating, autocratic or disrespectful.
While they can achieve short-term results, they often create a toxic work environment and harm employee well-being and performance in the long run.
Characteristics of toxic leadership
- Poor communication: toxic leaders are often ineffective in communicating clearly with their team, leading to confusion and misunderstandings.
- Lack of empathy: they do not take into account the needs, concerns or ideas of others. They do not show genuine interest in their employees and can be insensitive to their problems.
- Micromanagement: they tend to be controlling and do not trust others to do their job. This can lead to a lack of autonomy and professional development of team members.
- Constant contempt and criticism: a toxic leader tends to belittle, criticize or humiliate their employees. This undermines the self-esteem and motivation of team members.
- Lack of transparency: they hide important information or make decisions behind closed doors, which generates distrust and frustration among employees.
- Favoritism: they sometimes show preference for certain employees, creating an atmosphere of competition and division within the team.
- Lack of responsibility: they often avoid responsibility for their own mistakes and blame others when things go wrong.
This situation in companies can cause high levels of stress, demotivation, staff turnover and lack of commitment on the part of employees.
It is very important to foster healthy leadership and promote a positive organizational culture that values and respects employees.
How to resolve this situation?
Resolving a situation where leadership is toxic can be challenging, but there are steps that can be taken to address and mitigate the negative effects.From Servitalent, we give you some ideas:
- Recognize and understand the problem: The first step is to recognize that a toxic leadership problem exists and understand how it affects team members and the organization as a whole.
- Evaluate the specific behaviors of the leader and how they impact the work environment.
- Open communication: Foster a safe environment where employees can express their concerns and experiences with toxic leadership. Encourages workers to speak openly about their concerns and provides a confidential channel for them to share their experiences.
- Provide constructive feedback: If you are a team member who is affected by toxic leadership, consider providing constructive feedback to the leader or, if you are uncomfortable, seek out someone from human resources or a superior to discuss the problem. It is important to highlight specific examples and explain how the toxic behaviors are negatively affecting the performance and well-being of the team.
- Promote leadership training and development: Offer leadership training and development programs for the organization's leaders. These programs can help improve communication skills, empathy, emotional intelligence and conflict management, which can help prevent and address toxic leadership.
- Set boundaries and consequences: If the toxic leader shows no willingness to change or improve his/her behavior, it is important to set clear boundaries and apply appropriate consequences. This may include disciplinary action or even the need to replace the leader with someone more appropriate.
- Foster a supportive and collaborative environment: Promotes an organizational culture that values collaboration, open communication, mutual respect and transparency. Encourage active employee participation and provide opportunities for employees to feel heard and valued.
- Seek external support: If the situation is not resolved internally or if the organization lacks the resources to address toxic leadership, you may want to seek outside advice, such as consultants or human resources professionals, who can help identify and address the problem in an unbiased manner.
Remember that addressing toxic leadership can take time and effort, but it is critical to creating a healthy and productive work environment.
Active involvement of team members, support from senior management and a systematic approach are key to effectively resolving this situation.
Do you want to select the best leaders to avoid this type of situation?
