Essay On Toxic Leadership

The impact of toxic leadership on an organization is greater than anyone can possibly quantify with numbers. Over the past 26 years of military service, I have witnessed and seen more than my fair share of toxic leadership that have forced soldiers with potential out. There were times when I was able to impact this style of lazy leadership as I call it. However, most times due to rank being involved there was only minimal I could do. The worst case of toxic leadership I was aware of from afar was in Germany when an organization in my battalion went from an efficient commander being in charge to a mediocre one. This massive leadership quality gap impacted the organization almost immediately and ended up with the needless deaths (not suicides) of two soldiers …show more content…
Countless times I have seen demonstrations of this type of leadership and these mid to lower level leaders try to justify their behavior. These toxic leaders believe that directing style and rank gives them the right to dehumanize an individual. Many times I have intervened and offered mentorship to help them understand that what they were doing was lazy leadership. Directing style of leadership works great in situations like basic training. There is a time and place for that style of leadership but every day is not when it should surface (FM 22-100, 1999).

I believe education and intervention are essential to counter toxic leadership. It is the responsibility of everyone senior or equivalent to any individual displaying this type of leadership. Many times I have intervened when I could, and it was never convenient or pleasant. However, as leaders we must do what is right not convenient. The most extreme case was while I was deployed to Iraq, for a senior noncommissioned officer who was in the process of going through an NCO reduction board. He had been a platoon sergeant