How to spot a toxic boss during interview

Toxicity in the workplace - the research*

Toxic managers are the first step in toxic management.

The Dark Triad **—narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy—may be contributing to dysfunctional leadership.

Research* describes how leaders' psychopathy and narcissism increase toxicity in the workplace.

Employees suffer from depression, psychological distress, and job dissatisfaction.

The study identifies the traits of toxic managers:

- exploiting others, claiming credit for their work,

- being excessively critical,

- acting aggressively in order to get what they want,

- having a history of bullying others and are more likely to bully others.

But there's more:

Staff members who work in such a setting are more likely to retaliate by directing their annoyance at

- either the company or

- at their colleagues.

These findings underline two types of issues:

Are Businesses taking a person's darker side into account, especially when choosing candidates for leadership positions?

Are Candidates looking for hints of toxic management during the interviewing process?

How to spot a toxic boss during an interview

What are the hints that you are are about to join the team of a toxic manager?

I'm listing eight bullet points that you should take into account when deciding for yourself if there is a toxic environment.

There you go:

• Ask the line manager to talk about current or former employees. If they talk poorly about them, that is your first check on the list.

• If there is repeated proof they do not communicate well (missing your emails, texts, or phone calls once you agreed to communicate in such a way), ask yourself if their style is going to affect your future relationship.

• Transparency should be high on the list. Ask the manager about the job and the projects that need to be solved during your first year with the firm. You need absolute clarity here. I am not talking about a "carved-in-stone list". But you need data to compare if your track record is relevant for the job.

• Does the company have high turnover rates? This may be a sign of a toxic environment. Maybe it's not the manager's fault but...do your homework. Check company reviews on the web.

• Micromanagement. Ask about their management style. Watch for hints that they do not value autonomy. Can you leave with this?

• Bad work-life balance habits; what was considered normal 10–20 years ago is a big no-no today. Probe more to learn how they deal with urgent projects. (Confession time: Guilty as charged, I am as toxic as it gets on this one, but there is always hope for improvement.) Today people want more structure in their life, and I (finally) admit this is a good thing.

• What about recognizing the merits of their team members? It's always "me" or do they mention "us," as well? Are they acknowledging the work of others when they speak of successful projects?

• Are there growth opportunities at this firm? This one is hard. The hiring team already prepared their reply to this question. They know it's coming. And they may be truthful about it. But the harsh reality is that there is no guarantee. Anything can happen in the 2-3 years ahead.

If a manager crosses the full list, I strongly advise you to shy away from the opportunity.

If it's only a few, use your common sense and decide: "Can I live with them, moving further?"

Please take this with a grain of salt. Nobody is perfect.

Re-reading the list, I just realized there are things I should do better as a manager (or as a a parent).

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*Toxic bosses in the workplace, Manchester Business School, 2017 (involved more than 1200 workers from various sectors and business structures)

https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/original-thinking-applied/original-thinkers/toxic-bosses-in-the-workplace/

** About the Dark Triad:

Narcissism - a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance.

Psychopathy - a neuropsychiatric disorder marked by deficient emotional responses, a lack of empathy, and poor behavioral control.

Machiavellianism - behavior characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty