Month: May 2025

Toxic Leaders Be Gone

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Meet Dr. Carleta Alston

TOXIC LEADERS BE GONE!

It’s incredible to witness a leader who continually rants and raves about the office and puts everyone in the general vicinity on edge.

What’s even more amazing is the lack of self-awareness. This individual may not even realize the whirlwind he is causing or the toxicity he leaves in his wake.

Employees cannot thrive in a toxic environment. Stress alone can have negative health impacts. It is no wonder that when employees are led by individuals who lack leadership skills, they tend to call off work more frequently. They are sick regularly. They have limited focus on getting the job done, with preoccupations of anticipated rages by the leader. They even give up and find a new job just for peace of mind.

Why is the leader toxic?

This is a difficult question; however, one can make an educated guess about the lack of leadership development.

Toxic leaders have key characteristics:

  • Impatient
  • Over-demanding Behavior
  • Personal Insecurities/Inadequacies
  • Deeply Rooted Psychological Issues
  • Low Self-Esteem

TIPS FOR DIFUSING A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

A leader can turn the situation around and promote positivity in the work environment.

  • By showing employees that you can be patient with them, they will be less intimidated by your presence.
  • By expressing clear expectations of the task and its deadline, the leader does not have to be overbearing with employees to get the desired outcomes
  • By taking personal inventory, the leader can seek external counseling or therapy to work on areas that may impede progress with being an effective leader.
  • By practicing positive thinking strategies, the leader can learn (over time) how to build back self-esteem.

A good leader makes every effort to eradicate toxicity in the work environment, to support the wellbeing of her employees, and to support the health of the organization.

Leading with Confidence

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Meet Dr. Carleta Alston

LEADING WITH CONFIDENCE

Anytime there is a call for someone to step up and join the leadership of an organization, there is some consternation about whether one can do the job.

This is normal. Everyone, if honest, can relate to selfdoubting feelings and gremlins that whisper in your ear, “You can’t do this.” That’s when you know that you can

To solidify your confidence in being the leader you desire to be, take into consideration these important points:

  • Spend ample time in reflection to learn about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is critical to how a leader presents herself.
  • Be intentional about listening to the people you lead and your colleagues. It will position you to garner useful information to make good decisions later down the line.
  • Own the room. When you enter any space, walk in it with confidence, a smile, and straight posture. Whether you realize it or not, people are watching. They assess your body language. Let that language speak loudly and clearly that you know what you are doing
  • Plan ahead so that you have an intelligent response around the boardroom table. There is nothing more embarrassing and strip confidence than to be put on the spot and not have the right answer. This requires knowing your craft well enough to give an answer on a moment’s notice.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It might surprise you to know that there are more people rooting for you than against you, and that should give you some comfort to step into your leadership with confidence.

Difficult Conversations

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Meet Dr. Carleta Alston

AWAY WITH DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

One of the tenets of leadership is to accept when the time comes to have difficult conversations. Part of the reason leaders struggle with this responsibility is because they may not have had successful conversations in the past.

What went wrong?

There is a plethora of reasons for a conversation to go off the rails, and leaders who are cognizant of the danger zone in a difficult conversation can avert a catastrophe.

Unfortunately, leaders who are not adept at the skill of managing difficult conversations only exasperate the situation. They may plunge in too quickly with accusations before ever doing a root analysis. They may also lead with irrational emotional language. This faux pas speaks to a lack of judgment, evidence, and logic.

TIPS FOR HAVING A SUCCESSFUL CONVERSATION

In order to have a successful conversation with an employee or colleague, the leader must see the employee as a human being first. Simple recognition is overlooked and sets a dismissive tone in the meeting

Here are a few important things to remember during a difficult conversation:

  1. Acknowledge the employee in the room by name, eye contact, and a handshake. The employee will be put at ease and feel recognized.
  2. Listen and refrain from having a prepared speech. By allowing an organic conversation to take place, the leader is in the driver’s seat and able to steer the conversation along.
  3. Suspend judgment until all of the facts have been presented. Give the employee the benefit of the doubt.
  4. Make room for the employee to voice his/her concerns without fear of reprisals
  5. Exercise empathy because there is a reason the conversation escalated to this difficult meeting. Try to understand the underlying problems from the employee’s point of view.

The sign of good leadership is understanding and practicing good compassionate skills when conducting difficult conversations with employees or colleagues.

It is one of the potential strengths of a leader that gets underdeveloped. However, with these recommendations, any leader can shift from contention to contentment and do away with the dreaded difficult conversations.