Why Addressing Toxic Behaviour Feels So Hard
You already know turning a blind eye to toxic behaviour is a lose-lose situation.
But if addressing it was so easy, you would do it immediately, the person would stop being toxic, and then we’d all go home happy and I wouldn’t have anything to teach a whole webinar about.
But we both know that’s NOT how it works.
It’s no wonder you hesitate dealing with it. What likely comes next is not easy to handle:
- The person starts crying
- They fight back and accuse you of bullying them
- They take mental health leave.
Calling out toxicity is almost never straightforward
Calling out toxicity is almost never straightforward: without the right approach, it can lead to emotional fallout, team division, and self-doubt.
Next thing you know, you might be looking for another job, question whether starting your own business was even a good idea, or doubt yourself as a leader.
The knock-on effect is MASSIVE.
So let’s take one small step back and consider this reframe:
Toxic people don’t create chaos—OUR REACTIONS to them do.
- You can’t control whether someone cries or lashes out.
- You can’t control whether they take mental health leave.
- You can’t control if they paint themselves as the victim.
With that out of the way, what CAN you control?
Shifting Your Leadership, From Reacting to Responding
The power shift happens in HOW WE RESPOND.
What I can help you with is
- expecting the challenge
- and controlling how you want to lead through it.
And that’s the difference between feeling trapped in these situations…and knowing exactly how to handle them without losing sleep, confidence, or authority.
This isn’t about being ‘tougher’ or having thicker skin.
It’s about understanding what’s really happening in these dynamics—so that next time the person storms out of the office, or undermines you in front of the team, you don’t just react, but you respond with clarity, authority, and…a plan.
We’ll unpack exactly how to do that in my upcoming webinar. I look forward to helping you with this. Because once you stop giving toxic people the power to derail you, everything changes. Toxic people lose their power.
Juliet Robinson
Leadership and Change Specialist
PS: We’ll be diving deep into how to deal with toxic people in your team on the 25th of March. Secure your seat at the solution table.
