Top 10 Toxic Leadership Traits (and How to Spot Them)

Being a leader is what is important for the business. It’s helpful and encourages the idea to put their best.

 However, there are a lot of examples where leadership turns into the topic ones. It’s clear to notice as you have more negative results, and those who once followed you now don’t pay attention.

This is an important point where you should be concerned if you do not possess a toxic leadership style and to find. Out here are some of the characteristics you should know.

Ways to Address Toxic Leadership Behaviors 

Well, toxic leadership is defined as the process in which leaders end up doing damage with their disruptive behavior and dysfunctional personal characteristics.

When the company is led by a toxic leadership style, they have more high employee turnover.

Also, they have people who leave the company or stop following the leaders that they are supposed to.

Such leaders tend to dismiss the employee by saying they are not capable enough to handle the situation etc.

Not just toxic leaders are different from leaders who make mistakes.

Toxic leaders make the same mistakes over and over without even realizing that what they are doing is a mistake.

Signs of Toxic Leadership

Nothing will help the company culture when it has toxic leadership. Even with the best intentions,  there are leaders who turn toxic and create such behavior that affects the management along with the team.

There are some signs of toxic leadership. To understand if you have one of the companies that have such a leader, here are those signs you need to know.

toxic leadership signs

Lack of practice self-care

Leadership requires time, emotion, energy, and physical presence, it’s important to practice self-care. When there is a lack of self-care, it is also a sign of toxic leadership.

Taking Poor Decisions

Poor decisions make the company end up losing important opportunities and getting into trouble. It can be toxic behavior that doesn’t let anyone ask questions about the decisions that leaders make.

Struggling To Respect Others

The leadership starts to lack respect; also, it shows the behavior where they disrespect and make fun of someone’s weakness.

Selective Communications

The toxic leaders don’t communicate with everyone. They tend to have selective communication, which shows a strong indication of having negative leadership.

Hiding Truth

Truth is what helps in building trust, and when leaders show signs of dishonesty, it makes them lose credibility as well.

Having Negative Attitude

Leaders encourage people to be the best and to keep a positive attitude to maintain the champion spirit.

However, when you show negativity and cause distress on a continuous basis, it’s a sign you need to take it seriously.

The 10 Toxic Leadership Traits

To understand if your company has toxic leadership or you might be getting into the same pitfall, here are a few of the primary signs that you should be focusing on.

1. They Are Arrogant

Toxic leaders are arrogant and have the nature of boasting about everything.

For them, it’s always they who say the right thing and do the right work. As for others, they are either not capable of gospel truth.

Also, they have not extended to help others. Also, they find it annoying when someone else tries to correct their faults, especially if someone is either from the team or subordinates.

2. They Are Irritable

Toxic leaders are also highly irritable in nature. They don’t want to get bothered no matter what is going on.

Since they are not very open to listening to the ideas of others, they despise it if someone asks a question or takes their time.

When toxic leaders lead the organization, the company starts to get stuck because innovation and free-flowing ideas start to lack.

3. They Are Autocratic

The Toxic leader won’t hear anyone, not even their opinion, feedback, or thoughts. They focus on themselves and make sure that their thoughts are heard.

Also, they expect others to follow what they say quietly. Not just the way they don’t want anyone to question their decisions and directions.

The toxic leaders often have their minions in the team who exist because they do the bidding of the leaders.

4. They Are Lacking The Confidence

Even though the leaders act like they are superior and confident, they have no confidence in themselves.

Also, they have a hard time becoming confident and trusting the members of their team. Because of this, they ignore the problems and other points that are necessary to try to understand.

5. They Are Unfair

Such leaders are unfair, which causes the issue and always leads the team members to dislike them. It looks like they are using power to do bad.

For example, they can make their employees work more, or increase the amount along with giving extra work.

Also, they can treat people without respect and humanity.

6. They Do Favoritism

Having a toxic leader leads the people who are with their pets or do things just to please them, even if it’s not ethical.

This also increases the number of people who receive favoritism from them. This shows that it’s easy to win the value and affection of the leader even if he’s not a hard-working person.

7. They Discriminate

Well, even though it’s not surprising but having toxic leaders also discrimination. They have their own biases and prejudices that can be based on racism, sexism, ageism, etc.

This not just puts morale down but can lead to lawsuits etc. too.

8. They Are Hierarchical

Without a rigid structure, the toxic leadership will end up withering and dying.

If the company is led by a toxic leader, the employees will feel the pressure of the comparable power above them.

Also, they are controlling and use the power of the hierarchy and seniority.

9. They Are Incompetent

A toxic leader might believe that they have the best in meter and that what they do is best for everyone. But they struggle more often with commonsensical decisions or completing tasks.

Also, they need a sense of importance and usefulness, and they do it by criticizing others and making them feel less about themselves.

10. They Don’t Support

A toxic leader does not give support when it comes to their people or team. Also, they don’t provide much help and show support to help them.

Being a leader who doesn’t support the people makes them feel no longer following their leader. Also, they don’t need such a leader as well.

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