How To Deal With A Toxic Boss

A toxic boss can turn even the best job into a source of stress and anxiety. Whether they micromanage, belittle employees, take credit for your work, or create a culture of fear, navigating their behaviour requires resilience and strategy. Here’s how to cope with a toxic boss and protect your well-being without sacrificing your career progress.

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Understand Enablers

Toxic relationships at work, especially those involving leadership, don’t emerge in isolation. They are often enabled by systemic issues within the organisation. A lack of accountability, poor communication channels, and a culture that prioritises results over people can create an environment where toxic behaviours thrive. Recognising these broader contexts is key to understanding how toxic dynamics persist and how they can be addressed effectively.

The "toxic triangle" is a helpful concept. Its from the research by Padilla, Hogan, and Kaiser, which sheds light on the interplay between destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments. This framework highlights how a leader’s toxic traits, combined with followers who either conform out of fear or collude for personal gain, can create a destructive dynamic. Conducive environments (characterised by organisational tolerance for bad behaviour or a lack of oversight) further enable toxicity to take root and flourish.

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Recognise the Behaviors

Toxic bosses come in many forms, but common traits include:

• Constant negativity: Criticising without offering constructive feedback.
• Micromanagement: Refusing to trust employees’ expertise or autonomy.
• Playing favourites: Creating divisions within the team.
• Gaslighting: Denying past promises or shifting blame unfairly.
• Lack of empathy: Ignoring employees’ needs or well-being.

Something else? Each leader is unique. Use My Lever Finder to get quick insight into your manager and a tailored plan for your situation.

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Five Steps for Dealing with a Toxic Boss

1. Don’t Take It Personally

Toxic behaviour often reflects the boss’s insecurities or stress, not your performance. Remind yourself that their actions are more about them than you. Maintain confidence in your abilities and focus on your growth.

2. Set Boundaries

Toxic bosses frequently overstep personal and professional boundaries. Be clear about your limits while maintaining professionalism. For example, if they contact you outside work hours, you might respond during work hours to reinforce boundaries.

Alternatively, if they overload you with work, you might say:

I can prioritise this new task, but it may delay the other task.
How would you like me to proceed?

Not sure how to approach boundaries with your boss? Use My Lever Finder to receive tactics tailored to your boss’s specific behaviours.

3. Document Everything

Protect yourself by keeping detailed records of interactions, tasks, and decisions. Save emails, meeting notes, and instructions. Document incidents of unfair treatment or inappropriate behaviour. This documentation can be invaluable if you need to escalate concerns to HR or higher management.

My Lever Finder makes documentation easy. Record events, profile your boss, and access strategies to navigate difficult interactions.

4. Focus on Your Work, but Collaborate with Colleagues

Toxic bosses often create distractions with their behaviour. Stay focused on delivering high-quality work to maintain your reputation and job security. Consistently meeting your responsibilities also leaves little room for unjust criticism.

Additionally, build relationships with supportive colleagues who can offer advice, validation, or advocacy. A strong professional network can provide perspective and help mitigate the isolation a toxic boss might create.

5. Know When to Escalate or Exit

If your boss’s behaviour becomes abusive or violates workplace policies, don’t hesitate to report it. Speak to higher management and present the documentation you’ve gathered.

If the toxicity is affecting your health, career, or happiness, it may be time to explore new opportunities. Use the experience to clarify what kind of leadership and work environment you want in the future.

Need a personalized strategy? Each leader is unique. Use My Lever Finder to get quick insight into your manager and a tailored plan for your situation.

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Take Action Today

While working for a toxic boss is undeniably tough, you don’t have to face it alone. With tools like My Lever Finder, you can profile your boss, understand their behaviours, and receive personalised strategies to navigate even the most difficult situations. Take control of your career and start thriving today.