I have been lucky in that I have not had a ton of toxic people in my life...yes, my dad would have been toxic but I don't have a specific story to tell about that...I have had some co-workers and supervisors who have been pretty toxic...and am going to share about the most toxic supervisor I have ever worked for...
To be clear, Marty (not her real name) was good at one part of her job...she was great a running a non-profit, that is the business side of a non-profit...she was not great at the people side...Marty was unpredictable, demanding, and unreasonable...everyone had a 'Marty' story...people were quitting, searching for new jobs on the job, and having physical symptoms of stress (sickness, stomach problems, mental health issues, etc...)
At one point in my employment I was given a 4,000 raise in exchange for an increase in caseload, and responsibility...this was of course AMAZING for me, as I was able to handle the caseload at the time...About six months into my new salary, the budget became tight, and without any advanced notice my pay was reduced...This to Marty seem fine, to me and the others it affected, not so much...
Marty eventually left for another agency and the positive change in the atmosphere of the office was tangible...looking back, we actually considered having a party after she left us...
That example is tame compared to other's...but this story shows that the toxic people in your life don't have to be extreme to make an huge impact...
Tomorrow I will ask you some questions to help you identify the subtle and outrageously toxic people in your life and Thursday we will discuss ways you can protect yourself from being caught up in the toxicity...
Carelessly,
April