Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Fello Aledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode two eleven, and today's topic dives into one
Speaker 2: of the most challenging questions for leaders. Can toxic employees
Speaker 2: be fixed or should they be let go? Toxic team
Speaker 2: members can disrupt your culture, impact morale, and even affect
Speaker 2: your bottom line. But what's the best approach? So let's
Speaker 2: dig into this topic. First, let's define what we mean
Speaker 2: by toxic employee. We're not talking about someone who's having
Speaker 2: a bad day or is struggling with performance due to
Speaker 2: temporary circumstances. Toxic employees consistently display negative behaviors like spreading gossip,
Speaker 2: refusing accountability, or undermining teammates. These individuals drain energy and
Speaker 2: can poison your workplace culture if left unchecked. And before
Speaker 2: labeling someone is toxic, ensure it's a pattern of behavior
Speaker 2: and not just a one time issue. Some leaders believe
Speaker 2: toxic employees can be rehabilitated, and there are valid reasons
Speaker 2: to try. Number One is investment in development. You've already
Speaker 2: invested time in resources into this individual. Number two is
Speaker 2: underlying issues. Sometimes toxic behavior stems from burnout, personal struggles,
Speaker 2: or even unclear expectations. And number three is cultural responsibility.
Speaker 2: As leaders, we should create environments where people can grow
Speaker 2: and improve. So how do you go about this? So
Speaker 2: start with honest, direct feedback. Toxic employees are often unaware
Speaker 2: of how damaging their behavior is. Set clear expectations for
Speaker 2: improvement with measurable goals and timelines. Offer support, whether that's mentoring, coaching,
Speaker 2: or even professional help, but be realistic. Change has to
Speaker 2: come from within. And then, on the other hand, there
Speaker 2: are times when the best decision is to part ways.
Speaker 2: Culture is non negotiable. If the employee refuses to align
Speaker 2: with your team's core values, keeping them jeopardizes your culture
Speaker 2: chronic behavior when improvement efforts fail, you risk enabling toxic behavior,
Speaker 2: which can spread to others. And then there's team impact.
Speaker 2: Toxic employees demoralize the team. You can't afford to let
Speaker 2: one person drive away your top performers, and let's face it,
Speaker 2: firing someone isn't easy, but it's often necessary for the
Speaker 2: health of the organization. As the saying goes high or slow,
Speaker 2: fire fast. Letting go of toxic employees can be a
Speaker 2: turning point that revitalizes your team. So can toxic employees
Speaker 2: be fixed or should they be let go? The answer
Speaker 2: lies in the severity of the behavior, their willingness to change,
Speaker 2: in your team's ability to give them a chance to change,
Speaker 2: in their ability to thrive despite their presence. As leaders,
Speaker 2: we must balance empathy with accountability. And if you've done
Speaker 2: everything you can and the toxicity remains, it's your responsibility
Speaker 2: to protect the culture for the greater good. This has
Speaker 2: been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast and I thank you
Speaker 2: for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.