Recognizing Toxic Leadership Traits Vs True Leadership Qualities
Is toxicity in your workplace the norm? It shouldn’t be.
A toxic leader is often the main culprit behind high turnover, low productivity levels, and a lack of employee morale. There may be poor ethics, destructive conduct, and poor health among team members.
Sure, there’s a myriad of factors which contribute to poor performance and harmful organizational culture. But with toxic leadership in the mix, there’s little chance of seeing positive changes or growth.
On the flip side, true leadership qualities tend to ripple through an organization and result in high employee satisfaction, high performance, and enduring success.
Here’s how to recognize toxic leadership traits versus true leadership qualities.
Autocratic Versus Servant Leadership
Autocratic or authoritarian leaders take a “my way or the highway” approach. On a toxic level, they tend to use intimidation more and be less approachable. This works fine for them as they lean towards quick decision-making without additional input.
Decision-making like this is helpful on a case-by-case basis, but if a team member doesn’t have an assertive personality, they may be made to feel incompetent or less valued.
Extremely authoritarian leaders are forceful and controlling. This may show itself in micromanagement, a behaviour which is often counterproductive for the company’s growth.
You might find autocratic leaders work in the belief that the end justifies the means, especially in their pursuit of power and status.
In sharp contrast to such a toxic leadership style is servant leadership.
Servant leadership is all about helping people build themselves up alongside the person who is leading the team. With this type of leader, there’s collaboration, active listening, and striving to make ethical decisions.
Servant leaders are transparent, work to gain the trust of their employees and often go above and beyond to create an environment where others can feel good and reach their full potential.
Toxic vs True Leadership Checklist
There are many ways to categorize toxic leadership behaviours. What you’ll find is that these boxes all intersect.
Here’s a starting point and checklist of toxic leadership traits:
A hard focus on hierarchy for the sake of retaining their power.
Bullying, gaslighting, and the use of fear to control employees.
Employee favouritism and employee discrimination.
Impatience and setting unreasonable timelines.
Inability to receive constructive criticism and a tendency to make it personal.
Micromanagement, which may come with a lack of confidence.
Not being considerate of employees’ personal lives and well-being.
Not taking accountability for their own mistakes, while taking credit for others’ successes.
And here’s how to spot true leadership qualities. Hint! It’s the exact opposite of the above, plus:
Living out the company’s core values in real time.
Empathy, humility, and understanding.
Healthy conflict management.
Honesty and authenticity.
Productive feedback systems.
Systems thinking, and a holistic approach.
How To Deal with Toxic Leadership
If it’s now dawning on you how toxic your (so called) leader is, you might be inclined to hold your knees to your chest and rock back and forth in despair.
I feel that, but here’s what you can do instead:
Collect receipts. If you’re being asked to do something that makes you comfortable, or if you need proof of a given deadline for later on, documenting correspondences may go a long way in saving your a**. You should also document instances of hostility or bullying. Keep those records in check!
Be vocal and professional. Don’t just sit back and take it. If no one speaks up about what’s going on, nothing will change. Speak to your leader or talk to other higher-ups who might be willing to do something about the situation.
Let it go and do your job or leave. The more you pay attention to something, the more it controls you. So, if you’re not obligated to focus on existing toxic leadership, try not to let your ego get in the way, and just focus on your job. If it’s too much, it might be time to work on an exit strategy. Do what you feel is right and within reason.
Become Your Own Leader
Want to learn more about your leadership style? We are all leaders within and without, so we all have the drive to maximize our leadership potential. Ready to grow your self-confidence and really embody your innate leadership skills?
Connect with me to learn more about how to identify your leadership style, or download this free PDF with a roadmap on how to discover your leadership style on your own time!
Janic 💜
