5 Signs That Your Boss Is a Toxic Leader

A surprisingly high percentage of managers fail. Why? There are lots of reasons. Some simply don’t have the skills needed to manage and develop people. Others have personality issues that are inconsistent with good leadership. Some simply don’t care. A portion of these failed leaders are downright toxic. How can you tell if your supervisor (or potential supervisor) is a toxic leader?

1. Punitive and Threatening. Punishment is simply a bad and generally ineffective leadership tactic. The goal of punishment is to stop undesired behaviors. It does nothing to encourage positive, productive behaviors in employees. People who are punished, or threatened with punishment, feel resentment and want to get back at the source of the punishment. Most punitive bosses use overt or thinly-veiled threats to control their direct reports.
2. Self-Serving Behavior. We’ve all heard the phrase "power corrupts.” Actually, power only corrupts when it is used for self-serving ends. Often leaders become "intoxicated" by the increased power that their position gives them. Bad leaders let that power go to their heads and do things that are in their own best interests without considering the interests of the collective. If your boss has an inflated ego, or appears overly narcissistic, beware. The intoxication of power signals a toxic leader.
3. Divisive. Although there is nothing wrong with creating "A teams" of top performers, or favoring your best employees, there is a delicate balance between creating healthy internal competition and blatantly playing favorites. If your boss rewards in-group members not because they are top performers but because they show loyalty or "kiss up" to the leader, this is a sign of a toxic leader. These bad leaders cultivate their in-groups with favors, and that makes it difficult for outsiders to identify bad leaders, or for followers to dislodge the leader from the position of power. The in-group followers defend the leader and work to keep him or her in power. Bad leaders often exist because their followers allow them to remain.
4. Lying. Research clearly shows above all that followers value integrity and honesty in their leaders. Leaders who are caught lying, particularly if they refuse to own up to the lie and ask for forgiveness, will lose the trust of their followers. And often, odds are if your boss lies to you once, it is probably not the first or last lie.
5. Chaotic, Inconsistent, and Disruptive. A boss who breaks promises, gives contradictory orders, and actually works against the team in achieving shared goals can be an insidious form of toxic leader—particularly if this is a regular pattern.

If you suffer under one of these toxic bosses, what should you do?

• Try to Manage Up. It takes courage, but confronting your bad boss might be an option, particularly if the leader isn’t aware of their toxicity and/or actually wants to succeed. I recall a particularly pernicious boss who tormented team members with authoritarian behavior. When confronted, he actually asked his boss for some training to correct his bad behavior.
• Trust the System. It takes even more courage, but you might try to go to HR or to your boss’s superior. If you can get other team members to join you, it can be even more effective.
• Work Around. Take on a positive leadership role in your team and develop strategies to both cope with the boss’s bad behavior, or focus on accomplishing goals with as little input from the toxic leader as possible. (To be honest, this will rarely work if the boss is driven by power and control.)
• Consider Alternatives. In most instances, the best course is to exit the situation, if possible. Stay aware of other available positions in another part of the organization or in another company.