TOXIC WORKPLACES – VOL. 2
The root causes of toxicity in businesses are the same as they are in families, churches, and competition softball teams.
- Unmet Expectations
- Unresolved Conflict
See if you recognize any of the characters from this brief story.
A business owner, high on the overwhelmed scale, is frustrated that his team can’t deliver the results the business needs. The team keeps missing the mark. Instead of taking a step back and diagnosing the cause of the performance misses, he stays late and works weekends to close the gaps. He has fallen into a common trap:
- It’s just easier if I do it myself.
- I am the only one who can do ________.
- My team just doesn’t care as much as I do.
The real problem…they don’t know what you want (expectations). The process isn’t clear, the training hasn’t happened, and you don’t know how to inspire commitment to your cause.
The second wave is conflict. The owner is frustrated, he disengages from the team and tries to carry the burden himself. He begins to resent the people who desperately want to help him; a toxic fog of passive aggression envelops the business. The best performers will leave first, the others depart when the conflict finally blows.
Leaders take heart. We can learn to create clarity and master the art of feedback to our people. Conflict is a normal part of the human existence. Powerful #xtramile teams learn to have healthy conflict and bring it to resolution before it turns to resentment.
You are probably closer than you imagine, small changes can make an XtraMile difference.