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Toxic managerial behavior harms organizations by making workers worry more about surviving in the office jungle than the actual work tasks at hand. These behaviors include humiliation, devaluation, blaming others for their mistakes, bullying, and aggression (Senge, 2006). This can also manifest itself in the gaslighting form, a type of psychological violence in which the leader reinforces power and control by manipulatively instilling low self-esteem in subordinates. Toxic leadership not only affects team climate but also threatens the viability of organizations. I have also encountered toxic leadership in my practice. The boss whose behavior I would like to dissect in this essay expressed signs of the autocratic typology of toxic leadership. The leader used his position and authority as much as possible to make work happen the way he wanted it to. He imposed his will without considering the ideas and opinions that came from his team. The leader was similarly focused on maintaining tight control and was intolerant of mistakes, falsely hoping that the exact same failure wouldn’t befall him. In addition, team communication was strictly directive.
All the abovementioned behaviour tactics were used by the toxic supervisor to maintain a chain of command built on fear and mistrust (Wheatley, 2006). This relationship in the team also affected the atmosphere created by the leader. It was very tense; no one on the team could call their colleague a friend. This was due to the fact that everyone was very critical of the other’s work so that he would not be punished later for his mistakes in the final project. The lack of constructive criticism also contributed to the tension in the working environment. All that my colleagues and I got were comments and corrections with remarks that we were unable to do the simplest of jobs. In fact, any suggestions we made as to how the processes could be optimized were always ignored. Thus, we had no opportunity to improve our work and had to operate under extremely uncomfortable conditions.
To deal with a toxic leader, I tried to find out the reason for this behavior. Often people who humiliate others and make them feel uncomfortable are themselves very stressed. Perhaps if one helps the person solve the problem that is making him anxious, his behavior will change for the better. I spoke to his close people, and without getting any valuable information, I decided to ask him directly. He assured me that the reason for his behavior was that no one in the company could handle their responsibilities. This was not true because all the specialists were working hard to keep the organization running efficiently. It helped me understand that some individuals don’t notice the efforts of others, putting their own interests first. My boss turned out to be just such a person.
Eventually, realizing that I would not be able to change his views, I decided to leave the company. The culture of the company is formed, starting with the leadership, which means that sooner or later, the team will also become a defense of toxicity. I think that leaving this company was the right decision because it helped me protect my mental health from external toxic manifestations. From now on, I will choose companies to join only with a friendly team because the workplace climate is among the most critical components of effectiveness.
References
Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: The Art and practice of the learning organization. Revised and updated. Currency Doubleday.
Wheatley, M. J. (2006). Leadership and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world. Berrett Koehler.
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