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What Does Toxic Leadership Look Like: 5 Real Examples
Not every Manager is a Leader, and not every Leader is a great Leader! Let’s uncover some of the most common, toxic, and harmful leadership traits you’d find in the workplace so you can be better prepared moving forward.
When I first started offering 1:1 coaching sessions, I was surprised to see how many people needed my help in understanding — or seeing — whether they were dealing with a toxic or problematic Manager.
Some of my clients knew that already and approached my sessions with a “how to deal with this situation attitude.” Those sessions are easier, in comparison. The person already knows what the problem is and needs a bit of help navigating the future, potential possibilities, and opportunities.
Other clients, unfortunately, were either gaslighted into thinking that *they* were the problem or didn’t have the tools even to see that there was a leadership issue in the first place. They knew something wasn’t working but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
If that last paragraph resonates with you, this article is for you. Today, I want to cover some of the most toxic, problematic, and kinda-accepted traits and behaviors we often see in Managers and Leaders.
I want to cover those situations that maybe got you thinking, “Huh, can my Manager even do that?” so you can be better informed and better prepared for the workplace.
Not Sharing Feedback Until Performance Review Day
This is one of the biggest and most harmful things a Leader can do. Performance Reviews are a quick review of everything that happened in the last 6 months so you can set new expectations and goals.
No new information, feedback, thoughts, or details should be shared during this meeting.
If that’s been the case for you, you have a Leadership problem. Even if you’re getting great news during this meeting, this shouldn’t be the case — performance review meetings aren’t supposed to be a surprise; they’re supposed to be… a review!
