Working for a toxic leader is not easy, and it can really take a toll on a work environment. Toxic leadership, or leaders, managers, or supervisors who have negative effects on a team, can take the joy out of your work and make you dread coming in each day. If you want your employees to stay invested in your practice, you want to keep them happy.
Toxic leadership is bad for business.
Dealing with a toxic leader can be tough. Thankfully, there are several effective ways to deal with a bad boss. Here are some tips for dealing with toxic leaders.
How to Survive a Toxic Leader
Don’t let yourself get too frustrated.
Think about how you can stay calm and remain respectful.
Watch your toxic leader.
Do your best to put yourself in his or her situation. Learn as much as you can about your boss so that you can come up with ways to deal with or better understand his or her shortcomings.
Think hard about how you can be a positive influence on your leader and other employees.
Can you set an example for your boss by remaining professional in tough situations?
Don’t let your emotions lead you to complain about or criticize your boss.
This will only make your situation worse.
Stay positive no matter what happens.
Remember that everyone has their idiosyncrasies, good and bad, but your boss has good qualities, too. Try to focus on those when times get tough and stay away from negative thinking.
Think about ways to help your leader feel less insecure.
What can you change to help your leader feel secure about his or her decisions? How can you support your toxic leader?
Don’t let fear get the best of you.
Challenge yourself to find new ways to solve problems in negative situations.
No matter how toxic someone may seem, remain strong.
You are in control of whether you break under pressure or solve problems. If it seems overwhelming, make small changes.
Re-frame your situation.
Think about what you can learn from your experience with your toxic leader instead of thinking about immediately getting out. If you love your job, stick with it.
A good leader cares about the people around him or her and keeps open lines of communication.
If you choose to serve others, they will lead by example. Create your own positivity!
When you’re put in a tough situation, don’t panic. You are not alone. Brainstorm ways to overcome your experiences instead of quitting.
Surviving a toxic leader isn’t easy, but you can remain a great leader in the process.
The “Great” in Great Leaders
Great leaders are positive and empathetic. They think before they act and rarely have emotional outbursts. Great leaders create an environment that allows people to work together and inspire one another. People respond to this by setting higher goals for themselves and achieving great things because they aren’t put in negative or fear-inducing situations. Most importantly, great and effective leaders lead by example. These leaders aren’t dictators; they are teachers!
About Veterinary Career Services
Laura W. Anderson is the founder and president of Veterinary Career Services.
After significant research in the veterinary job market, Laura saw the need for recruitment services specializing in the veterinary industry and founded VCS in January 1998, with the primary goal of assisting veterinary practice owners in their hiring needs.
Laura holds a Masters of Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! I look forward to hearing from you.
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