The Poison Of Toxic Leadership

While fractures remain and things precariously continue to wobble globally, some of us are grateful that our cousins down south made certain choices at the end of last year a little differently than they did a few years ago.

Phew!

We’ve not resolved anything yet though…and our world continues to burn in anger and frustration and pain…and we remain fragmented, divided, and afraid of one another…and who knows what else lies in wait for us…from the dangers of climate change to the monsters of inequality that we continue to feed and nurture…

However: we’re done for now with having to endure the stupidity we’ve had to live with these past four years.

But let’s not celebrate just yet!

A truth I’ve observed in my own professional experience — having been at the mercy of at least a couple of sociopathic, narcissistic leaders (of whom we have so many — it’s almost as if we demand, that those amongst us we choose to follow must be of a pathetic disposition) is that these folks inflict such irreparable damage; that for years to come, and sometimes for generations, we continue to suffer as a result of their influence in our world.

Researchers at Berkley and Stanford have found that these types of folks ‘infect’ work cultures (much like the meaning of the word in medical terminology), resulting in breakdown in collaboration and integrity — yes, integrity — throughout the places they torch (touch, actually, but torch sounded so much more appropriate in the current context).

In previous research about toxic leaders, researchers found that these folks have:

“…personalities that are profoundly grandiose, overconfident, and dishonest, credit-stealing, and blame-throwing…” — JENNIFER CHATMAN

Sound familiar?

What happens when such unethical folks end up in important places is that they institutionalise their rot and cultivate toxic cultures that live on for long after these ‘leaders’ themselves have departed.

Yet, we continue to buy into the myth that our ‘leaders’ need to be loud and bold and narcissistic to be able to have the confidence to ‘change’ the world…and we mindlessly worship and submit to the likes of Elon Musk and the late Steve Jobs to justify our belief in that myth.

The truth is far from that — quoting Jennifer Chatman again:

“You can have confidence and be innovative, and not be self-involved, exploitative of others, overconfident, and risk-insensitive,” she says. “BILL GATES is a perfect countervailing example. But somehow, the lay public, especially in the U.S., has developed a view that leaders are supposed to be loud-talking and overconfident.”

So, while for some of us, these recent turn of events call for a bit of a celebration — we must remain mindful that there is so much more yet to be done before we can truly celebrate together — as one — and not divided like the way we are today…while also accepting that the rot that has been cultivated this far will continue to stink for generations to come!

For now, let’s just be patient with one another…listen to one another without judgment…try to better understand and support one another…put aside the political, religious, and ideological slants that have only served to divide and weaken us…and truly care for one another — as we struggle much the same through these rough times we’re in.

Toxic leaders will come and go…history will, without fail, repeat itself…such is human nature…and in all of this; let’s just try to be more mindful and aware as we move ahead that: after all is said and done, the toxicity we choose to embrace poisons us for generations to come.

The sooner we truly learn and understand that, the better for us all! :)

RD