Introduction.

If you've ever worked for a boss who was toxic, you know how difficult it can be to cope. Toxic bosses tend to foster environments of fear and mistrust at work, which can influence employee performance (and their health). Here are some signs to recognize toxic leadership.

Insults disguised as advice (aka "I'm just saying...").

A lack of respect for the people you work with is a sign of a toxic boss. If you see your boss insulting your co-workers, it's time to consider switching jobs. You may be thinking that this kind of behaviour is normal since we're all in an office setting and sometimes it's just "the way things are." But if you notice that this type of demeaning language is habitual or even systematic (for example: when a certain type of person will be called out), then there's something more serious going on here.

The insults are disguised as advice because they make the recipient feel bad about themselves or inadequate in some way. The boss knows that by pointing out specific flaws or mistakes made by others, they can gain control over their behaviour while keeping them dependent on them for guidance and approval—which means more opportunities for manipulation down the line!

Consistently undermined in front of colleagues.

Toxic bosses do not respect you and they don't care about how you feel. They will find ways to undermine you in front of your colleagues, which is a sign of weakness and not respect. Don't let this happen! Be brave enough to confront your boss and ask them why they are treating you like this, because no one deserves to be treated so poorly by their superiors.

Remotely shows you how they would do your job better than you.

It is a sign of toxic leadership if your boss believes they know how to do your job better than you. This can come in many forms:

• The boss may directly ask for your advice, but then dismiss it as “stupid” or “unimportant.”
• The boss may take over from you on projects, only to be caught red-handed making mistakes that they could have easily avoided if they had let you handle them yourself.
• When the boss gives an assignment or makes a suggestion, it is clear that their idea is unworkable and will never work out well (for example, asking someone else to do something that no one on Earth could possibly accomplish).

They lie, lie, lie- and know how to get away with it.

A toxic boss is a leader who lies to cover up their own mistakes. They are masters at manipulating and controlling information to make you think that they are right, when, they are not. They know how to get away with it because of their charisma and charm.

Their goal is not to help the company succeed but rather to advance themselves at the expense of others. As a result, you see your work suffer and other team members' morale decline because of this toxic behaviour.

A disruptive force.

Interrupts conversations and leaves meetings early, leaving their colleagues to pick up the pieces. Managers who do this may be trying to show their power and dominance; they may also have little interest in what others are saying and want to move on immediately to the next item on their agenda (which is likely about them).

This can cause frustration among co-workers who feel like they're not being heard or taken seriously—and it can also lead people working for such a manager to feel like their time is being wasted because of last-minute changes and erratic schedules that don't give employees enough advance notice about upcoming tasks or objectives for completing those tasks successfully.

Threatens to fire you for no real reason.

One of the most common signs of a toxic boss is their tendency to threaten to fire you for no real reason. When you're working for them, no matter how much you do, they will always find something wrong with your work. They will make it seem like you are the problem and not them. This person might also use intimidation tactics in order to get what they want from employees such as threats of being fired or poor performance reviews if employees don't follow through with their demands.

You might think that this would be enough motivation for an employee to leave this type of manager on their own accord but unfortunately if there isn't another job opportunity available then employee only has two choices: stay at the current job under this leader or find another one somewhere else.

This means that sometimes we have no choice but deal with these toxic leaders because we need our paycheck! But don't let this stop us from trying our best every day so that one day maybe things will improve?

Conclusion.

As you can see, there are many ways that toxic leadership can affect your work and your team. But don’t think that it’s hopeless! There are ways to deal with it. If you feel like your boss is becoming more toxic over time, then consider finding someone else who will listen to what you have to say. If that doesn't work out, try talking with HR about what's going on so they can help mediate a solution between all parties involved. In the end though, remember sometimes we just need a break from toxic people because they drain our energy and make us feel bad about ourselves.