The Vacuum of Toxicity

Randall Burns discusses the management of the environment of toxicity quite well:

https://goo.gl/C9nyff

Toxicity within an environment is the absence of something.

Within social media we have become very adept at focusing on, writing about and conveying a problem to others.  Toxic work environments has received its fair share of such dialogue.  I have always thought there was a missing ingredient within the problem itself.  A vacuum if you will.

Fear seems to bring on the scientific question of why the problem exists.  I have sat in meetings where problems internal or external have been described by every department from their perspective.  Certainly we need to understand the past and gain knowledge from the journey, but lots of effort goes into the description of the problem.

When we look at the toxic environment, yes we do need to manage our way out of the situation, quickly and decisively.  But manage what?  If we manage toxicity then we will more than likely satisfy a few, but will we exact the true and lasting change we seek?

When an environment becomes “unbalanced” we need to find the ingredients that went missing, we do not need to describe or analyze what is already present and visible.  We need to grasp an understanding of what was excluded.
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Love is a word that encompasses what toxicity devours as it climbs into existence, the two are mutually exclusive.  I do not refer to the Hollywood version of love, but rather the Greek word “Philos”.  When toxicity extends itself it causes each in the organization to retreat from philos and defend their position . Philos is the basis of synergy.  That thing when all the skills and knowledge of your organization come together to form something greater than the sum of its parts.  If you would prefer you can replace the word “Love/Philos” with synergy.  Do keep in mind you can't create synergy as it is an indirect outcome of philos.

The cycle now complete, philos has been replaced with toxic defense strategies.  We now have the exact opposite of what we need for success.  From this viewpoint we can see the futility of discussing the toxic defensive displays.  We need to install philos.  Or, the act of bringing folks back together under a banner of interdependence.  We have now allowed toxicity in and created a people problem.  We now need a people solution.

This is the fork in the road.  We can exact some technical solution to force people into a realm of professionalism and ignore the toxicity or; We can eliminate the people who we sense are at the center of the crisis or; We can install philos back into the system.

Each of the forks represents a solution.  If we can get past the mushy aspects of the philos option we can see and understand that this is what toxicity has pushed out.  The ultimate goal is to get back to where everyone is committed to the others success within the goal.  The two other options promote professionalism and being a good sheriff, but neither deal with getting the culture back into a sense of trust and building goodwill.

A subject of an entirely different post would be the ego that prevents us from installing philos back where it is lost.  Our skills and knowledge allows us to think that the human condition is static, and people will always come back to their sense of fair play.  This can only happen when leaders expose the lack of philos and give the team the path out of defensiveness.  This is something that will never self heal on its own.

Taking back the lost philos within and organization.

The standoff that toxicity creates is one that needs an intervention. The intervention requires several factors:

• Consistency in delivery

• A statement of understanding of what has been lost.  (Repeated constantly.)

• Professional meetings where dialogue is guided when defensive strategies are recognized (Humbly calling folks out when they retreat to defense.)

• Commitment.  (The management of expected trust with follow through and determination.)

The time table for balancing the system is months.  It took months to get here it will take months to get out.
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Leadership courage is not found in bad reviews, terminations or memos, but rather in humbling yourself to help others change, or let down their defense.
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I have helped several small businesses who have fallen into the trap of toxicity.  I am always amazed that the leaders are always looking for a solution within the toxicity.  When i speak to the lost synergy and what they think it would take to get it back they are bewildered.  When i mention the defensive nature of each team member and the lack of philos, bewilderment doesn't begin to describe the looks i would get.  The tougher the leader the harder it is to show them the vacuum that has been created.

The answer for toxic work environments will not be found inside the toxicity itself.  Look at the times before it entered and develop a scope of what was.  I believe you will come to the same conclusion i have, philos is lost.

Thanks Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee and Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee