The Dark Side of Leadership: The Most Toxic Leader Traits

Welcome to?#LatinoProfessionals?Newsletter Magazine, our new thought leadership and interview series that brings conversations and career stories to life, highlighting Latinos from a variety of industries and professions with unique stories to tell about their path to success. Click follow above to be notified of future editions.

Written by?Rafael Magana?&?Yajaira De La Paz

A bad leader can have a disastrous effect on an organization. Along with creating an unhealthy work environment, they can cause good employees to leave, eroding overall performance and impacting company morale. However, the silver lining here is the lessons that can be learned from toxic leaders. By understanding the qualities of a poor leader and the adverse effects they have, we can avoid making the same mistakes in our leadership and work environments

The Qualities of a Toxic Leader

Arrogance

A toxic leader is often pretentious. They believe their opinion is the only thing that matters, leading them to make poor decisions because they are not open to hearing other people's opinions, particularly if it differs from their own. They often interpret this as dissent.. Moreover, they alienate people with their insensitivity, thereby sowing the seeds for an inevitable downward spiral in workplace morale.

A toxic leader can also be manipulative. They may try to control other people by playing with their emotions, making it difficult for others to trust them. They may also find it challenging to work with others because they are always trying to get their way.

Lack of Empathy

Another quality of a bad leader is a lack of empathy. The toxic boss may not be able to align with how other people are feeling. This can make it difficult for them to build relationships with others and make them seem uncaring and uninterested in others' welfare.

It can be difficult to work with a leader like this because it can feel like you are constantly walking on eggshells, fearing retaliation at any moment because you are not aligned with their views. You never know when they will lash out, making it difficult to trust them.

Inability to Take Criticism

A toxic leader may also have an inability to take criticism well. They may get defensive or even aggressive when someone points out something they did wrong. This can make it difficult for them to learn from their mistakes, leaving them to seem like they are not open to feedback or constructive criticism.

Impatience

Bad?leaders may be a walking advertisement for impatience. They want things to happen without thinking about them, causing unnecessary conflict within teams or organizations. Additionally, toxic leaders may oftentimes develop their own timeline of when things should be accomplished, much to the detriment of the workforce. Should you fail to deliver because a deadline is not feasible, their impatience will target you as the problem.

Intolerance

Another prominent quality of a toxic leader is intolerance. This leader may not be willing to accept people with differing opinions. It can make it hard for others to want to work for them, making them seem prejudiced. A bad leader will deflect their intolerance to misalignment of the organizational mission and how you are simply not a “good fit.”

Intolerance can also manifest itself in a leader's need for control. They may try to micromanage every aspect of their team's work or be unwilling to delegate tasks. This need for control can stifle creativity and innovation, making team members feel like they're not trusted to do their jobs. By contrast, a bad leader can also defer all tasks to their workforce so that they shoulder the responsibility, accountability, and ownership of when things go awry. A toxic leader will take all the credit, but push all the blame and punishment onto you.

The Effects of a Toxic Leader

Like a dark cloud hovering, toxic leaders can have a big negative effect on employee morale. When employees are exposed to criticism, micromanagement, and a general lack of respect, it takes a toll on their motivation and enthusiasm for their work, leading to a decline in productivity and increase the likelihood of departing the organization

High Turnover

Another effect of toxic leaders is high turnover. When employees are unhappy with their working conditions, they will often look for other jobs. It can be costly for businesses to train new employees. High turnover can affect company morale and performance. Most notably in today’s Information Age, the turnover visibility is high and adversely impacts the company profile. It is often said that people don’t change jobs, they change bosses.

Poor Performance

Toxic leaders can also lead to poor performance from employees. When employees feel stressed, unhappy, and unmotivated, it is difficult for them to do their best work. A disengaged workforce is the direct result of increased organizational toxicity. This can result in increased mistakes, missed deadlines, and projects being incomplete.

The Lessons You Can Learn From a Toxic Leader

Dealing with a toxic leader can present numerous opportunities for you to hone your own leadership skills. Let’s take a look at some of the lessons that can be learned from the toxic leadership you encounter.

Practice Humility

Arrogant leaders tend to be insensitive to the needs of their subordinates and fail to see the impact their actions have on others. As a result, those who work under them often feel unvalued and unimportant. To avoid arrogance, take a step back and remember that no one is perfect. Practice listening to others and be open to feedback. Be humble in your words, actions, and engagement with your team and others. Remember that you were once in their place. Be the leader you needed when you were first started out.

Develop Empathy

Empathy is another important quality that leaders should possess. Leaders who lack empathy tend to be oblivious to the feelings of others and fail to see how their actions might affect them. This can create an environment in which employees feel disregarded and unimportant.?

To develop empathy, it's important to try to see things from other people's perspectives and to put yourself in their shoes. It is also necessary to be aware of your own emotions and how they might affect those around you. Learn to understand your positionality among your organization and how this affects your decision and power, wield it with compassion, and take time to see the impacts of your thoughts and decisions from the workforce that is in place to support you.

Be Open to Criticism

Leaders who are unable or unwilling to take criticism often find themselves at odds with their staff. This is because those who are unwilling to listen to feedback can come across as being closed-minded or even hostile. Furthermore, this unwillingness can make it difficult for leaders to learn from their mistakes and improve their performance.?

To avoid this, leaders need to be open-minded and receptive to criticism. It is also crucial for leaders to provide constructive feedback in return so that subordinates feel heard and valued. Remember that feedback provided by your workforce exists to improve upon your existing leadership.?

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is key, not just in leadership, but in life in general. A lot can go wrong if a leader rushes into decisions without thinking them through first. This can result in poor judgment calls and a loss of respect from followers. If you want people to trust your decisions, you must show them you care about more than just getting things done quickly. Take time to consider all options before deciding, even if it takes longer than usual. Understand that certain processes take time and those carrying out these tasks are experts in their field. When in doubt and it starts to create impatience, lead with a question so everyone can better understand that you are coming from a place of learning. Trust the process.

Be Tolerant

Tolerance is an important trait for any leader. If you want people to trust and respect you, you must show them you can see things from their perspective. This doesn't mean that you have to agree with them all the time, but it means being willing to listen to their opinions and try to understand where they're coming from. It also means accepting people who are different and treating them with respect. One key aspect to remember about tolerance in the workplace is that a diverse workforce is a talented workforce. Try to celebrate everyone’s differences, don’t condemn them.

Conclusion

A bad toxic leader can harm an organization exponentially. They can lower morale, cause high turnover, and lead to poor performance. However, lessons can be learned from them. We can avoid becoming arrogant, develop empathy, be open to criticism, and be tolerant. By learning from the mistakes of bad toxic leaders, we can become better leaders ourselves. Best of all, your workforce will not only thank you for it, but they will selflessly support you through and through.

___________

Related articles below

___________

Join 10,000+ Leaders, managers, entrepreneurs who have already subscribed to the Latino Professionals Newsletter. Join and?subscribe here.

Live in Los Angeles, California? Want to join the largest Latino Professionals group in Los Angeles on Meetup with over 1,700+ members? Join the waitlist?here.

________________

Copyright Oct. 28, 2022 by Rafael Maga?a & Yajaira De La Paz. Contact for usage license.?Opinions?expressed?are solely own.

Rafael Maga?a helps organizations grow. Helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. Specializes in donor-centered Philanthropy. Major Gift & Planned Giving Officer - Veritus Scholar. Rafael is also a Board of Trustees at the?Hollywood Schoolhouse, and currently is the Development Chair. He has been a member of the Board of Directors with the Navy League of the United States, BHC since 2006. Enjoys writing about leadership, management, philanthropy and careers.?Founder of?Latino Professionals,?Latina Professionals, &?Latinx Professionals. He resides in California.?

Yajaira De La Paz is a workforce development, employer engagement, career readiness, student advocate professional at Pasadena City College. Were she focuses on advocating inclusion, access, and opportunities for student employment, federal work-study, internships, work-based learning, and professional development.

Also, If you enjoyed this article please join?Latino Professionals?(85,000+ members),?Latina Professionals?(90,000+ members),?Latinx Professionals?(35,000+ members)?and?District Manager Networking in the United States?(5,000+ members). Follow Rafael on?LinkedIn?(22,000+ connections).

You can also find articles and tools that might be helpful to you below.

Select your learning interests below?

Read Rafael's articles featured in Hispanic Executive Magazine?here.

The Importance Of Mentorship And Leadership In The Latino Community

Andrea Marquez Is On a Mission To Inspire The Next Generation Of Entrepreneurs

International Equal Pay Day -Why We Need To Talk About It

What Walt Disney's Example Can Teach About the Importance of Passion