There are many
examples of toxic
bosses—some are unfortunately
too common in today’s work places.
Have you ever worked for a boss who
deflates your confidence by micromanaging your every move? Isn’t it
emotionally and creatively exhausting to
contribute ideas to a manager who only
has a “my way or the highway”
mentality? How taxing is it to
constantly be on the
defensive against a
manager who bullies his
or her way to get things
done?
ARE YOU THE
BAD APPLE?
BY MAE
MAÑACAPJOHNSON
Like a bad apple that spoils
the barrel, it takes one toxic boss to
ruin a good culture which, in the
bigger scheme of things, could lead
to the death of any business.
TELL-TALE SIGNS
For any leadership, it takes
humility to determine whether you or
someone in your team has the makings
of being toxic. Often, one sign of poor
management is when staff members
come and go.
“Just like toxins in the body, it is
critical you identify bad leadership and
learn how to deal with and eliminate
them, not always physically but also
mentally and emotionally. Similar to the
body, the expense of toxins in the work
environment will lead to dysfunction
and eventual breakdown,” says Well by
Choice Founder Jean Kolb.
Skin Authority CEO and Co-founder
Celeste Hilling says it’s easy to spot bad
managers. “Along with toxic bosses
comes intimidation and fear, which
trumps innovation. When you can’t
innovate, you can’t grow,” she says.
Some signs of toxic bosses include a
controlling attitude, untrustworthiness
and inconsistency to the point that
employees never know what to expect.
A symptom of poor leadership, Hilling
says, is high turnover and employee
absenteeism.
June 2016
■
PULSE
25