Resist the Pull: Guarding Against Toxic Leadership Culture
Cherie Dorotich
The Corporate Rebel ?? Developing impactful Women Leaders is my thing // ?? Integrative Leadership Development // Creating happy, confident women in + out of the boardroom
Today, we delve into a crucial topic - guarding against toxic leadership culture and the importance of resisting its pull.
The Shadow of Toxic Leadership
Toxic leadership culture is a shadow that looms over organisations, eroding trust, stifling innovation, and harming individuals. It is a culture where power is wielded at the expense of ethics, empathy, and the well-being of those under its influence. Toxic leadership can have severe negative impacts on an organisation, including decreased employee performance, increased turnover intention, and reduced job satisfaction[1][2][3][4][5]. It can also lead to psychological distress, emotional harm, and physical health problems among employees[4].
Why Resist the Pull?
Resisting toxic leadership culture is not just a moral imperative; it's essential for creating sustainable and ethical organisations. Here's why it matters:
1. Employee Well-being: Toxic culture takes a toll on the mental and emotional well-being of employees. It leads to burnout, stress, and disengagement. Don't forget that this isn't just impacting between 9am - 5pm, this impact ripples throughout the entire of that person's life, everyday, with cumulative effect. If you hear your mind saying "Their daily life isn't my problem" then you should be asking yourself if you have really chosen to be a leader, or just a boss?
2. Trust and Collaboration: Toxic leaders erode trust and hinder collaboration. A culture of fear or oppression stifles creativity and hinders open communication. Of course leading by fear is effective, but it's effect is never sustainable - after all there are always those rebels that will stand up, speak out, and tear down the empire built on fear. You need to ask yourself, if your interpersonal style is one of power-over or fear-inducement, what is your relationship with trust?
3. Long-term Success: Organisations with toxic cultures are often plagued by high turnover rates and reputational damage. Ethical leadership, on the other hand, is more likely to lead to sustainable success. Much like when we diet to rapid weight loss versus gradual change over an extended period of time, dismissing ethical action for quick gains (which is often the rewarded approach in our commercial world), just won't provide the long term stability and success.
4. Ethical Decision-Making: Resisting toxic culture ensures that ethical decision-making remains at the forefront. Leaders who uphold ethical principles set the tone for their teams. This is not just about operational decisions, it's about interpersonal and relational decisions that you make on a daily basis. These decisions should not be influenced by who your office favourite is, or how your mood feels on the day, or that secret little love of gossip that we all tend to have.
Preventing and mitigating toxic leadership requires several strategies:
1. Recognising Toxic Leadership: Leaders must be able to recognise toxic leadership behaviors in themselves and others. This includes understanding the short-term and long-term costs of tolerating such behaviors[6].
2. Accountability: Leaders must take accountability for preventing and mitigating toxic leadership. This involves leveraging their authority to effect change at all levels of their organisation[6].
3. Open and Transparent Communication: Open and transparent communication can help resolve toxic leadership styles. This involves creating an environment where employees feel safe to express their ideas and concerns[6].
4. Sustained Counseling and Training: Regular counseling and training can help leaders develop healthier leadership styles and behaviors. This can also help them understand the negative impacts of toxic leadership and how to avoid such behaviors[7].
5. Teamwork and Joint Decision-Making: Encouraging teamwork and joint decision-making can help create a more inclusive and respectful work environment. This can also help reduce the power imbalance often seen in toxic leadership scenarios[7].
6. Incentive and Review Frameworks: Implementing incentive and review frameworks can help encourage positive leadership behaviors and discourage toxic ones. This includes regularly reviewing leaders' performance and providing feedback to help them improve[7].
7. Understanding the Causes of Toxic Leadership: Understanding the causes of toxic leadership, such as corporate culture, instability, perceived threat, and successful institutions, can help organizations devise strategies to prevent toxicity from emerging in the workplace[5][8].
The Role of Therapeutic Integration in Leadership Development
Therapeutic integration equips leaders with the tools to resist the pull of toxic leadership culture. By fostering self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and empathy, therapeutic practices enable leaders to:
1. Recognise their own tendencies towards toxic behaviors.
2. Address unresolved personal issues that may contribute to toxic leadership actions.
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3. Cultivate a culture of psychological safety where employees can voice concerns without fear of retribution.
4. Bring their own awareness and insight into their actionable existence of daily life for meaningful (to all) experiences. (Read that one again - think about it).
Leading by Example
Some aspects of tackling toxicity are about the environment and the organisation, however the most powerful factors of influence are about you - the one who leads others. Leaders who resist toxic culture lead by example. They model ethical behavior, prioritise the well-being of their teams, and create an environment where employees can thrive.
Ask yourself, what does it take for YOU to RESIST being part of the toxicity? What parts of yourself would you need to master? What core needs do you have that risk spilling into your decision making and hence determining your actions? What capacity do you need to have to correct actions taken under the influence of your very human flaws?
Resisting the pull of toxic culture isn't always easy, but it is an ethical obligation that yields long-term benefits for individuals, organisations, and society at large.
In Conclusion
Guarding against toxic leadership culture is a collective responsibility, and it starts with each one of us. By embracing therapeutic integration and committing to ethical leadership, we can be the catalysts for positive change in our organisations. By expanding our own understanding of ours and others human condition we find constructive ways to call each other out and support each other in correcting our contributions to toxicity. This takes courage - true leadership is not a place to stand if you do not have the courage to face yourself.
Citations
Cherie Dorotich is a seasoned psychologist with 25 years of experience, dedicated to elevating women in leadership roles. As the owner of a thriving clinic, she combines deep psychological insights with practical strategies to empower female leaders.Cherie's approach is shaped by a commitment to fostering resilience and authenticity in the workplace.
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