Claire Chandler, Executive Leadership Advisor at Talent Boost. Growth on Purpose: I examine how leadership shapes the world.
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One day, during my last year as a full-time employee in corporate America, my boss stopped me as I was walking toward my office.
“You need to tone down your walk,” he said.
“Um… what?” I replied.
“Your walk,” he explained. “It’s too... bouncy. Too happy. You’re making people think you’re up to something—like you know something they don’t.”
“Hmm... OK. Thanks for that,” I said.
Spoiler alert: I did not amend, modify or adapt my walk.
That exchange was emblematic of corporate culture. Too many large organizations advertise for employees who embody “entrepreneurial spirit,” then immediately cram their new hires into tightly lidded boxes, reinforced with rigid job descriptions, ambiguous performance expectations, and flat-out unhelpful feedback such as, “Tone down your walk.”
If you’re an organization that promises a culture of innovation, yet delivers a culture of conformity, pay attention. Because your underperformance is NOT due to making bad hiring decisions. It’s because your leaders have become toxic.
The simple fact is this: The biggest impact on a company’s culture is the behavior of its leaders. And if your leaders are advising employees to “tone down their walk,” you’re crushing their souls. And it’s having disastrous consequences on your business.
According to MIT Sloan, organizations with toxic cultures experience significantly higher employee attrition, negative brand reputation, absenteeism, healthcare costs, reputational damage and legal liability. And those hits aren’t cheap. In fact, the CDC estimates that productivity losses from missed work alone costs companies about $1,685 per employee each year.
Rather than wait for these costs to tear down your business, get out in front of toxicity. Here are other symptoms of toxic leadership to weed out and address before it’s too late.
'Do As I Say, Not As I Do'
Toxic leaders not only repel feedback, they openly flaunt that what got them to the C-suite won’t get you anywhere. Good leaders model the behavior they want to see repeated and eagerly participate in the same development activities they expect their staff to attend.
Chronic Lateness
Toxic leaders walk in late to every meeting and expect you to stop the meeting, publicly acknowledge their entrance and recap what they’ve missed. This is a control move—and a bad one. Good leaders empower their people to make decisions and are humble enough to acknowledge when their lateness has disrupted the flow.
Squelching Opposing Views
Toxic leaders smack down alternative perspectives like they’re playing Whack-a-Mole at a carnival. Good leaders don’t make their insecurity your problem; instead, they demonstrate vulnerability. They understand that they’re not supposed to do everything themselves or have all the answers, so they invite others into the conversation.
Bullying
Toxic leaders don't just bully their peers and subordinates; when they’re called out on it, they also “demand examples” of their bullying behavior. Good leaders are as open to feedback as they expect their people to be, realizing that they always have room for improvement.
Your employees don’t want to work in a toxic environment. More and more of them are demanding better. And when they don’t see positive improvement, they’re making their disappointment known by walking out the door. So instead of tolerating leaders who advise their people to “tone down their walk,” create an environment where your people play to their strengths in ways that feed their motivators. That starts by freeing them to own their personality, express their unique ideas and enthusiastically contribute to achieving your mission.
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