Like many middle-aged men, my dad has a sporadic enthusiasm for fishing. Once, at the end of a successful expedition he utilised his catch of the day as a prompt to impart words of wisdom, explaining how, "a fish rots from the head down".
It wasn’t until much later in life this metaphor would prove useful to understanding toxic leadership.
Although workplace culture and external drivers have an influence on leadership behaviour, those at the top hold positions of power and are responsible for setting the cultural tone of their organisations.
The behaviours leaders demonstrate, including the language they use and their style of interaction, signal to others what falls within the bounds of acceptability. This means followers will replicate their actions as the standard by which promotion will be secured. For this reason alone, leaders must recognise their moral imperative to set an example, treating others with respect and dignity.
However, we don't have to look far to see that toxic leadership and bullish workplace cultures are epidemic on both a local and global scale.
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Stephen Nolan apologises on air following revelations by Irish News
Just this past week, Northern Ireland was rocked by allegations of a toxic workplace culture at the BBC, where, among other things, its highest paid presenter, Stephen Nolan, sent sexually explicit pictures of Stephen Bear, a reality television figure now in prison for 'revenge porn' offences.
Some may wonder how this conduct fits in with the BBC's core values, or why some elected representatives continue to participate in his show.
So long as the authoritarian leader is performing in such a way that secures the company's desired results, those with decision-making capacity appear quite happy to trade off the health and wellbeing of subordinates who are most adversely impacted.
Stereotypically, the phrase 'toxic leadership' conjures up images of an aggressive, loud and obnoxious male displaying tyrannical behaviour towards his subordinates.
However this is not always the case. Toxic leaders come in all shapes and sizes yet are equally skilled at imparting fear and inflicting workplace trauma.
When it comes to understanding why followers continue to engage or put up with such damaging behaviour, the rotten fish analogy once again proves useful.
No-one would willingly eat rotten fish. Yet, as someone who has suffered food poisoning (more than once), I can testify that contamination isn't always that easy to detect. Unless the fish exhibits obvious signs of decay, its glossy skin and colourful appearance can create an alluring false impression.
Toxic leaders operate in a similar way and can, initially, be hard to spot. Nine times out of 10 they appear highly successful, strong and captivating.
They utilise their charismatic ability to lull followers into a false sense of security. They are often skilled performers and capitalise on their ability to sell grand visions which promise nirvana on the road to delivering on behalf of the greater good.
They offer certainty and security in an otherwise chaotic world and also reinforce moral superiority over opponents who are positioned as 'deviant others' in spite of the fact that their behaviour is actively replicated by the toxic leader.
Sooner or later, time spent in a damaging workplace can have noxious effects. Without the prior knowledge of how to detect and deal with toxic leadership, proximity can cause contamination.
Much like the food poisoning that ensues from eating a rotten fish, those at the behest of toxic leadership can find themselves frozen in illness, waiting for the nausea to lift and hopeful their vulnerable position will soon improve.
Alternatively, there are those who, despite the implications of challenging the all-powerful figurehead, do so regardless.
These individuals are quickly shot down. They soon become labelled as disruptive, damaged, deviant or disordered and are subsequently ostracised.
In some cases, their skills and abilities are not only dismissed but actively degraded as less qualified, yet much more unquestioning staff are rewarded for their compliance.
For anyone faced with such adversity, great comfort can be found in the work of Edith Eger, a Holocaust survivor and renowned psychologist. Eger explains how, through her lived experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz, that freedom begins in the mind. She argues that the human spirit is resilient and that through choice, liberty is only possible once we confront our own suffering.
In a similar vein, I found comfort Dad's equally powerful advice: "If you can't cut the rotten head off it just eat something else."
Newton Emerson is away
