The Darkside of Leadership - Part 2

The Impact of a Toxic Work Environment: Effects and Solutions

Leadership is a theoretical concept that sounds clear, effective and success driven. There is a belief that the working at companies that are scaling up and expanding are supporting the employees through the transition, however, most companies are struggling to understand the impact of growth. Impact is also a word currently thrown around as if it is going to create change. The misconception about Leadership is it takes something to truly lead. I have had the greatest pleasure of working with some amazing leaders.

In my early career, two women leaders had such an impact on me in terms of how they led. They got down in the trenches, always offering supportive and developmental advice and most importantly they lead effectively by communicating their likes and dislikes but also were clear on their boundaries. 

As I grew professionally and became an Executive my CEO and the VPs were really inspiring. I didn’t agree with how areas of the business were working, so I challenged this and this was heralded in a way that was welcoming but also elevated the leadership team to actually move in a different direction with more emphasis on forward planning and business growth. We worked well and really created a different energy that opened our minds to new ways of thinking.

However, things change and you move on to other environments as your career expands, you enter new dimensions. The flip side of positivity is negativity and where I was engaged with positive environments and the impact in which it elevated me, I want to delve into the impact of toxic environments.

At some point in your career, many have experienced toxic work environments, or some areas of an organisation where toxic behaviours are rampant.  Why is this such an important topic? Because as someone who has been exposed to toxic behaviours, I started to notice that the impact of those environments then transfer onto me. How it manifested is complaints, withdrawal, feeling disempowered and extremely frustrated. People who are a part of the problem often will notion towards saying “that’s the way they (certain toxic colleagues) are” or “if you don’t like it leave.”  The latter was what I got from a few people when working with a company who deals with Leadership. The first time someone ‘senior’ said that to me, the second time a consultant said it to me. Both times I was in shock, but a layer down I was extremely hurt disappointed because if there is a strong takeaway I endorse as a Leader is to understand and support people to for positive action.

This is to all organisations; when someone has the courage to identify toxicity, sweeping it under the rug or actually sacking the individual isn’t going to solve the problem. When companies do respond in this way, it indicates to other employees you can be toxic but just do it quietly.

Transparency and honesty offers a range of advantages that support the dissolve of toxicity in an organisation and this will support the internal teams to reflect on how they show up and most importantly, how their toxicity impacts other people. From a spiritual perspective and understanding; energy doesn’t die, it transfers. This term is important to recognise in leadership because it breeds a range of openings that can be avoided;

- Employee anger and frustration

- Departmental fragmentation

- People being labelled as trouble makers when they are simply being honest

-  Absenteeism

-  Mental Health issues

Leaders have to recognise the importance of free speech and really understand that when someone voices their displeasure, it is offering a leader a new insight that they are yet to consider. It is not always nice to hear negative things about the company or department you are running, but the information doesn’t appear from thin air, it’s a true lived experience for many employees.

My recommendation is to;

- Listen without judgement (Toxicity is a build up of unmet employee commitments that are consistently ignored)

- Understand that it takes courage for anyone  to speak up

- Be aware that you do not experience what the employee experience, put yourself in their shoes

- Ask employees what they need from you at this time, as well as, what they need to do to support themselves in the current situation

- Have a three way conversation with any or all parties creating the toxicity

- Post the three-way conversation, invite all parties who are involved to have a conservation without you as the leader and agree on goals and objectives that are align to behaviours and goals that they can commit to which will contribute to incremental improvement

Employees react and respond to the cultural environment. An employee speaking up should not be a red flag, in fact it is green flags all around. Toxicity exists in many organisations but there are ways to intervene without anyone feeling unsupported, rejected, disconnected or demotivated.

While overcoming obstacles to effective leadership in a toxic setting can be challenging, it is not impossible. It requires leaders to be proactive, resilient, and committed to creating a positive work environment. By addressing toxic workplace culture, promoting a positive attitude, and building trust among team members, leaders can overcome these obstacles and lead their teams to success.