Leaders with Low Self-Esteem are Likely to Cause "Toxic" Stress at Work, Research Shows
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TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP
There is a mountain of evidence to show that stress is a leading cause of common and lethal diseases, including heart attacks, diabetes, asthma, cancer, osteoporosis, anxiety, depression, insomnia, memory loss and premature aging.
But how much of a role does ‘toxic’ leadership play in workplace stress, and what are the signs of a toxic leader?
Recent data has shown that three-fifths of the world’s employees say their job impacts their mental health more than anything else.
Backed up by 40 years of research, wellbeing expert Professor Simon L. Dolan PhD says that leaders with low self-esteem are most likely to pass on stress to their teams.
“The stakes for leadership have always been high,” Professor Dolan states, “but knowing you’re affecting people’s mental health is cause for leaders to take stock and ensure they’re doing all they can to be their best and have their most positive impacts on people.”
Toxic at the top
Almost every working adult will have experienced a bad boss at some point in their working career. But at what point does a bad boss become a truly toxic leader, and what can you do about it?
Professor Dolan, a respected scholar in human resources, has trawled decades of research to create De-Stress at Work. The guide is designed to help people understand if their manager or leader affects their mental health, and what can they do to deal with it.
“Leadership can make or break an organization,” Professor Dolan argues, “with good leaders motivating teams to be creative and productive. But on the other side of the coin, a bad leader can demotivate teams, cause low morale and the effect on teams can be devastating.”
After extensive research, Professor Dolan suggests the main characteristics to identify a toxic leader are those who: are jealous of their team’s success; are constantly concerned about competition or workplace ‘enemies’; often take credit for other people’s work; constantly compare themselves to others; consider their self-worth to be solely driven by their latest results.
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