Toxic Bosses, The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Rich Baron • September 21, 2023
One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
All of us at one time or another have experienced a toxic boss. You may even be one of them without knowing it. Toxic bosses are far more common than you think. Gallup’s 2022 State of the Global Workplace report found that only 33% of employees in the U.S. and Canada feel engaged in their work, a feeling that good bosses foster. That means that 2 in 3 employees are potentially dealing with a toxic boss.
One thing is for certain, toxic bosses have a unique capacity to give. These gifts certainly are not what we had hoped we would see in our career, or written down on our wish list for the type of company we wanted to work for. Nonetheless, the gifts we receive from toxic bosses will be remembered long after that toxic boss has moved on.
Toxic Gifts
As the saying goes, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. The same goes for toxic bosses. Left unchecked, their toxic legacy can become the gift that keeps on giving. You might be asking yourself, exactly what kind of gift can an organization get from a toxic boss? Here is a short list of some of those toxic gifts:
- Employee burnout - Nothing says toxic bosses like low morale, poor productivity, poor attendance, and the list goes on. Who's going to give 100% for a toxic boss? Nobody!
- Micromanagement - Nothing builds employee engagement more than a boss who is creeping over your shoulder all day.
- Silos - how many times have we all seen toxic departmental leaders in organizations with a department-first, company-second mindset.
- High Turnover - People don't leave good jobs or good companies, they leave toxic bosses. in 2021 alone, 48 million people left their jobs during the Great Resignation with as many as 50 million the following year. A recent MIT Sloan Management Review study determined that the leading cause for the Great Resignation was actually a toxic workplace culture, which is the result of toxic leadership.
- Increased Conflict - Toxic bosses often create a culture of conflict within the organization. This can manifest in interpersonal conflicts between coworkers, as well as between employees and management.
- Damage to Reputation - Toxic bosses can tarnish the organization's reputation both internally and externally. Employees may speak negatively about their experiences working for the organization, and word can spread to potential job candidates and clients.
- Poor Customer Retention - Customers want someone on the other end of the phone who can solve their problems. Someone they trust, someone they've known for a while. When there's a lot of turnover in a company and it is someone new each time they call, those customers lose faith in that organization.
- Toxic Leadership Legacy - When you leave leadership training to these toxic bosses, and allow them to mentor the organization's emerging leaders, what do you think the outcome is going to be? This is perhaps the most toxic gift of all.
- Toxic Organizational Culture
- Organizational culture is a top-down function starting with the CEO. The formula for toxic culture is simple: When you have toxic leaders, you will have a toxic culture.
Wrapping Up
Ignoring toxic behavior in leadership can lead to a lack of accountability and a breakdown of trust within the organization. This can result in poor decision-making, communication breakdowns, and ultimately hinder the organization's ability to achieve its goals. Toxic bosses can also undermine employee morale and motivation, leading to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, and high turnover rates.
To prevent these negative consequences, organizations must prioritize addressing toxic behavior in leadership and creating a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability. By doing so, organizations can cultivate a positive work environment where employees feel valued, empowered, and motivated to contribute to the organization's success.
None of these gifts that we get from toxic bosses will ever result in organizational success. The odds are stacked against companies that continue to allow toxic bosses to remain unchecked.
Let me know if you have ever worked with a toxic boss, or if your culture is suffering due to toxic bosses by reaching out to me here.
Or check out my video on this very subject here.
About the Author
Rich Baron is the Director of Culture Transformation and Training as well as a Master Certified Intelligent Leadership Executive Coach at John Mattone Global. With a wealth of expertise spanning over 25 years, he has excelled in various realms such as cultural transformation, operational leadership, executive positions, and coaching individuals from emerging leaders to CEOs. Rich hosts "Mainline Executive Coaching ACT," a podcast acknowledged by Feedspot in 2023 as the foremost Executive Coaching Podcast worldwide. This recognition is based on an evaluation of numerous podcasts on the internet, taking into account factors such as web traffic, social media followers, and timeliness. The podcast enjoys a substantial following in more than 70 countries 650 cities across the globe.
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