How To Spot A Toxic Leader

culled from:articlecity.com

Sigmund Freud once remarked that all his life he wrestled with “the demon” – the demon of irrationality.

When individuals in positions of power refuse to acknowledge the extent to which irrationality governs their lives, the entire organization suffers.

Business executives are tasked with the huge responsibility of creating a workplace in which employees feel valued and productive. Stable leaders tend to build companies where the rules are intuitive and employees don’t need to worry about how the system runs.

Leaders who have a more distorted psychological makeup, however, often create miserable, unstable work environments that reflect his or her pathologies.

When a leader exhibits personality disorder, it can be disruptive to everyone in the office. Unstable leaders create dysfunctional organizations in which the entire structure of the business is put in jeopardy.

A recent Harvard Business Review article entitled “Coaching The Toxic Leader” breaks down these types of leaders into the four archetypes you’re most likely to encounter: The narcissist, the manic-depressive, the passive-aggressive and the emotionally disconnected. Not everyone falls neatly into these categories, but many bosses exhibit some form of personality disorder.

It may be an uphill battle, but here are a few strategies for coaching these four types of toxic leaders:
1. The Narcissist

The personality disorder most commonly found among executive leadership is pathological narcissism. To be fair, it takes a small dose of narcissism to successfully climb the ladder in the business world. When feelings of confidence develop into grandiose fantasies about themselves, however, leaders risk alienating their employees by acting selfish, entitled and attention-hungry.

The first thing to remember about narcissistic leaders is that their pathological behavior likely stems from a deep insecurity. Because these types of leaders have a very fragile sense of self, it is never a good idea to administer a loud wake-up call.

Instead, narcissists should be coached by someone who can recognize and exploit behaviors common to this personality type, such as natural competitiveness and a desire for affirmation from authority figures.
2. The Manic-Depressive

Also known as bipolar disorder, manic depression is a psychological condition that has the potential to derail a leader’s career. Unlike narcissists, leaders who suffer from this personality disorder are usually aware that they are misbehaving.

The article shares the story of Frank, a charismatic, energetic CEO whose erratic behavior was jeopardizing his company’s future. His executive team was constantly putting out fires after his emotional outbursts and the dissolution of the firm was becoming a real possibility. Frank was aware he was bipolar, but didn’t know how to fix his interpersonal relationships.

The first step to dealing with manic-depressive leaders is to encourage them to confront their problems head-on. With coaching, Frank was able to own up to his behaviors and take a realistic look at the relationships in his office that had gone sour.
3. The Passive-Aggressive

The passive-aggressive leader is one who expresses negative feelings indirectly and avoids confrontation at all costs. Outwardly accommodating, these types of leaders will agree to a plan and then quietly obstruct those decisions they don’t agree with. They express their resentment by missing deadlines, showing up late to meetings, making excuses and undermining team goals.

The first thing to remember is that passive-aggressive leaders don’t respond well under pressure. They often produce high-quality work, but only when they are operating under their own terms. Second, it’s important to realize that lots of passive-aggressive leaders have repressed their own feelings to the point that they don’t even realize they are sabotaging the team.

Because passive-aggressive individuals often come from families that don’t know how to express desires, coaches need to encourage transference. Once the leader views the coach as an authority figure, he or she will express anger in more direct and healthy ways.
4. The Emotionally Disconnected

Unlike the last three personality types, which describe leaders who are troubled but charismatic, the emotionally disconnected leader is notable for his or her lack of feeling. Described by psychiatrists as alexithymics, these kinds of individuals think literally, are unimaginative and are unable to recognize or interpret feelings. It’s no wonder these leaders struggle to pick up on emotional cues from their colleagues.

Emotionally disconnected individuals usually succeed in organizations where safe behaviors are rewarded. In more unstructured organizations, however, such leaders fail to inspire others because they lack the vision that a high-performing company needs.

At their best, emotionally disconnected leaders make and execute leveled business decisions. At their worst, such leaders avoid high-risk situations and stifle creativity.

The first step to dealing with emotionally disconnected leaders is to coach them through the immediate problems in their lives. The second step is to help leaders pinpoint sources of pain and distress, which might help them cultivate a healthy level of emotional depth.

Put simply, working with some of these bosses can be a miserable experience. Executives who refuse to recognize the extent to which unconscious, irrational behaviors shape their leadership style fail to be effective. As an employee or colleague, it is useful to know which of these categories your boss falls into in order to better communicate with him or her. There also may be times when the company needs to bring in a coach to help the leader see how his or her actions affect others.

A healthy level of self-reflection, when paired with executive skills, can be a winning combination for effective leadership.