Got Toxic Team Members? Take an Empathetic Approach

Brief 

Overlooking the toxicity of team members can cause greater problems later, writes Steve Farber, who recommends leading with empathy and realizing that most toxic behavior is unconscious and may arise from personal problems or challenges. “No matter the root cause of the issues, it is vital to remind everybody that your overarching goal is to create a positive and productive work environment,” Farber writes.

Insight

If you were to ask Hollywood icons how to deal with toxic colleagues, you would get a variety of answers. Adam Sandler’s suggestion might be to “Just Go With It,” Elsa would instruct you to “Let It Go” and Bill Murray might laugh and tell you to get used to it because every day is “Groundhog Day” when you’re dealing with toxic people at work.

Adam, Elsa and Bill may know what works in their fictional worlds, but in real life you need audacity when dealing with toxic coworkers.

You have just as much right to feel your feelings as your employees do. But the difference is that, as a leader, it is your responsibility to foster a positive working environment, despite some employees’ toxicity directly affecting your efforts.

With your Extreme Leadership, the groundhog has seen its last shadow.

By learning why toxic colleagues have such a damaging effect, and what to do about it, you will be halfway toward successfully combating their negativity. The second half of the formula is undergoing executive leadership coaching to guide you through how to most effectively block out negativity and let positivity shine.

WHY ARE TOXIC COLLEAGUES SO DAMAGING?

When you hear the word “toxic,” you might imagine a steaming, bubbling and poisonous concoction destroying anything it touches. That’s Hollywood’s vision, but in the workplace while toxicity is just as damaging, it has an uncanny ability to disguise itself.