Am I A Toxic Leader!

A newly minted sales manager held a meeting with her staff to discuss the company shortfall for the past quarter. Unfortunately, one of her sales agents missed her targets, and the manager became verbally abusive to the agent in front of the entire team. But what happened next shocked the whole team.?

Within a week of the incident, the sales agent resigned. The manager found out later that the agent was in a bitter divorce and custody battle with her ex-husband that took a toll on her life personally, emotionally and professionally. Now some people will read this and think, well, you need to leave your personal issues at home because work is work, right!?

If you have personal issues, deal with them; the company is not responsible for helping you. I heard this from someone I had a conversation with, and it is always amazing when I encounter “leaders” who treat their people like commodities as opposed to people, you know, human beings with a heart and feeling. But what is even more bizarre is that these “leaders” would complain that their company is not living up to its potential.??

Leadership requires that you build a relationship with your team. For example, suppose one of your people is dealing with a significant personal issue, and you are oblivious to it, or your employee chooses not to talk to you or even mention it. In that case, something is wrong with the culture, or at worst, the company is over-managed and under-led.?

I read this story once about someone who experienced an extraordinary moment at their job during a very challenging project with his team. Sensing something was wrong, the company CEO gave a compelling and motivational speech that left each person believing that they could achieve anything.

Half an hour later, everyone left the room looking at each other and saying: “Yes, let’s do, let’s go for it.” Managers can often drive businesses, but inspirational leaders are what separates excellent companies from good ones. According to Fernando Vilas, these leaders can inspire others to follow them, even in very adverse situations.?

For example, inspirational leaders can transmit a message to each person in their team. They spread enthusiasm and integrity, acting as a role model. They are great at setting real-life examples which make people identify with them. These leaders can leverage the meaning of goals and tasks. Their emotions are magnetic, touching the most buried feeling inside their people.

They give purpose to the organization, explaining the personal reasons to achieve them as opposed to following an order from a manager. Contrary to what managers usually do, they develop each employee individually, with complete credibility. They understand their employees’ needs, and they genuinely care about them. They give their people the importance they deserve by soliciting feedback and engaging their people in personal topics as well.

They enter into real valuable dialogues that build a healthy relationship between leader and follower. That’s what leaders do; that’s what leadership is all about. So if you have no connection with your team and you are comfortable with your people coming to work, completing their tasks and leaving with no type of interaction, please, do us a favor and don’t call yourself a leader.

By the way, can you guess the sales manager’s reaction when she found out about the agent’s situation; yes, you guessed right, the manager showed no remorse and indicated that any agent’s personal problem is not her problem; her only concern is meeting and exceeding her targets.

What a company to work for!?

At Leadership First, we are committed to publishing the very best inspirational leadership quotes and articles from the?best leadership minds in the world. We are dedicated to helping every leader create an excellent organization while?providing a daily cup of inspiration for all leaders.