What to do when toxicity outshines talent?

Every organization constantly seeks to attract and retain the best talent, striving to fill each vacancy with the most qualified people in search of achieving the established objectives. Sometimes, in this search for talent, and especially for leadership positions, we forget that talent goes beyond technical skills, and consequently, soft skills are put in the background. Poor leadership and toxicity overshadow the abilities of the individual and divide the team, while good leadership enhances the potential of the leader and unites the team towards common goals.?

I once read that "companies that retain bad leaders end up losing good employees." And, in my experience, this is absolutely true. I know of cases where senior management decides to retain people for their technical knowledge, seniority or even personal affinity, despite the fact that these people generate a hostile and toxic work environment and / or do not obtain the expected results. This is a vicious cycle since it is contagious and creates important repercussions. One of these consequences is the impossibility of creating high performance teams since for a team to be cohesive, there must be respect and integration of the members. Another consequence is the permissiveness of toxic conducts and conformism since employees observe tolerance to harmful behaviors. An additional consequence is the potential loss of key talent since they can opt for another job opportunity where there is a pleasant environment that promotes emotional well-being and recognizes based on results.

We all want to work in places where we feel fulfilled, and this has been more relevant now in the post-pandemic era. It is proven that people work better and achieve greater results in those companies that have good work environments and where leaders genuinely foster harmony in the workplace. Likewise, within the same work team, it is more pleasant and satisfying to be able to coordinate when the environment is harmonious, and it is essential that each leader ensures that balance is maintained among the members of his/her team. In organizations where senior management decides to retain these "toxic talents", far from helping they cause more damage to the organization. This generates an environment that rewards bad leadership and encourages the rest of the employees to either imitate these behaviors, resign themselves to working in an uncomfortable work environment, or decide to resign from the company.

Toxicity in the work environment prevents teams from forming, and instead promotes individualism.         

There is currently a great need to attract qualified talent in different organizations, while the supply of talent is scarce. Therefore, leaders must make sure to review their structures and in turn review the different types of leadership in their teams, and if these are in line with the values and strategy of the business. No matter how good an employee is, if he generates an uncomfortable environment, his results take a back seat. To avoid reaching these cases, I share four key recommendations to take into consideration.

1.??????Powerful selection

• The recruitment and selection process are the gateway to the organization. Therefore, talent teams must ensure that they review their process and align it with the organization's strategy and core values. The prevailing need to fill a vacancy should not be an excuse to skip steps in the recruitment and selection process. There are many alternatives to check the fit of the person with the company, such as assessment centers, team interviews, confirmation of references, psychometric tests, among others. While it is true that sometimes they can fail, these steps decrease that percentage of error. In particular, I always make sure to have my HR network active, because although it seems "old school" I like to have reliable feedback on the performance of candidates in their previous work experiences.

2.??????Comprehensive performance

• A transparent performance appraisal process is vital in any company. These processes promote teamwork, meritocracy, and above all, align the organization towards the achievement of objectives providing clarity on the contribution of each employee. A good practice is for the performance models to consider not only the achievement of business goals, but also include a component of measuring the commitment with the organization's core competencies, particularly for leadership positions. In this way the message of the company is clear: we want to achieve the objectives, but the way in which they are achieved matters. And, for this, feedback on the results to each employee is vital so that they are aware of their strengths and areas of opportunity.

3.??????Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

• Currently, the value proposition to the employees is a "hot topic" in the region. Derived from the battle for talent, many organizations are rethinking their offer to the employee to be able to segment it so that it is comprised by factors that are valued by the employees and in turn, align with the company's strategy. One of the components that any PVC must include is respect. This dimension is about promoting positive relationships, support, team spirit, company culture and the core values and beliefs of the company. Organizations that do not review their proposals will be left behind in this fight for the best talent. Today's professionals put more weight on their emotional well-being, above extending their seniority in a company.

4.??????Radical decisions

• I am a firm believer in the phrase "hire slow, fire fast." If the senior leadership and/or employees of the organization have identified the case of a toxic leader, and she has been given feedback, and remains unchanged, it is advisable to make the radical decision to disassociate it before it generates greater damage. Postponing the departures of employees who are affecting the organizational culture and climate will only generate a greater negative impact on the results of the organization, and possible loss of valuable talent. You could think about relocating the collaborator, but this would only be moving the problem from one place to another.

Today's companies cannot afford to promote bad leadership. This is an irresponsibility to the company and to the rest of the employees and brings about many problems (some not as visible as others). Ensuring a good recruitment and selection process, together with a good performance management model and value proposition to the employee can considerably reduce the chances of reaching the point of having to make a radical decision. If you are currently in the situation of having a toxic member in your team, I ask you “At what cost do you want to achieve your company’s goals?”