How do you target a person with a toxic personality?
Most of the time, you can start by observing the behavior:
- His or her actions affect the team’s work climate and results;
- Behaviors are constant, regardless of environment or context;
- The person’s actions generate conflict within the team;
- Colleagues refuse to work with this person;
- The person’s reactions are easily predictable (outbursts of anger, crying, isolation);
- Communication is very difficult or virtually non-existent;
- Interventions have no long-term effect (a refusal to change);
- The hours spent managing this person are eating up your time.
Once you’ve determined whether the person is toxic for your team, you can try to understand their behavior and put into practice communication methods specifically dedicated to managing toxic personalities.
Attention
It’s important to understand that these behaviors are only harmful if repeated over a long period of time, not just every other time. We all go through bad times, and we never really know the whole story. That’s why it’s so important to know how to communicate with colleagues and employees.
“Sticking a label on a person takes seconds,
getting rid of a label can take a lifetime.”
In short, it’s imperative for the manager to take the necessary action to resolve the situation, and above all to take the time to properly plan interventions. The consequences of not intervening when you have a toxic personality on your team are devastating for the manager, for the team and for the company.
