Toxic leadership: Impact on mental health, culture, and management

Leadership is about leading a group of people associated with an institution or organization and being available to them during their time of need. The process begins with guiding this “team” and evolves through different phases. For instance, when the team is new, a leader needs to be grounded in understanding the behavioral patterns of the team members. Positive leadership is one defined approach; however, without the proper guidance, toxic leaders will focus on their own personal or political goals instead of the common vision, mission, and values espoused by their organization and team members. Such oppressive conditions create a dysfunctional atmosphere where employees feel disheartened, confined, and helpless. Such toxicity, if ingrained, can wield unretractable adversity on the human workforce. Toxicity not only describes the paucity of care but also includes the inability to listen to concerns. Reaction, rather, is harshly conveyed. Offensive words are used to address employees, and an artificial urgency at work is created. When trust and meaningful communication are missing, conflict arises between leaders and employees, resulting in a toxic environment. In this context, the present paper focuses on the impact of toxic leadership on the mental health of employees and the resulting cultural changes and its assertive impact on management.