Aug26
We don’t hire toxic leaders.
We create them.
Not with intent, but with silence.
I once watched a promising young leader transform almost overnight. He was smart, ambitious, collaborative - the kind of person every organization wants to fast-track. We gave him broader responsibilities, invested in his development, and placed him on the leadership pipeline.
Then came the shift.
He began demanding perks seasoned directors had earned over decades:
a car, a driver, a personal assistant.
He started treating junior employees as if their role was to manage his workload, not their own.
When I challenged him, his response was telling:
"My time is more important than theirs."
That moment should have triggered a conversation.
A reality check.
A course correction.
Instead, it triggered silence.
We told ourselves he was “still learning.”
That we shouldn’t “kill his confidence” so early.
That potential outweighed the behavior in front of us.
The cost?
Four team members resigned - not for better roles, but because of him.
Productivity collapsed.
Trust eroded.
Eventually, he left too. But the scars remained. It took nearly two years to rebuild what was lost in one.
That experience cemented a truth I now carry everywhere:
Entitlement left unchallenged compounds into toxicity.
Every time we excuse poor behavior in the name of “potential,” we’re not growing leaders.
We’re growing tyranny.
This is why I now use what I call the 48-Hour Rule.
If entitlement shows up - even once - I give feedback within 48 hours.
No exceptions. No excuses. Not even for “top talent.”
Because the cost of one uncomfortable conversation is always less than the cost of repairing a broken team.
As leaders, our role isn’t to protect egos. It’s to protect cultures.
So the real question is this:
What truth does your top talent need to hear but you’re still avoiding?
Keywords: Culture, Change Management, Transformation
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