Toxic personality types that you don’t need around.
Entrepreneurs have a penchant for being direct, for being focused, for being good at surrounding themselves with a team that counters their strengths with skills their business needs.
This also means that they don’t allow certain types of people into this circle.
As busy owners, you have far too much on your plate to worry about team members bringing “bad juju” into your organizations. You need team players who are committed, focused, supportive and in sync with your passion. I hope the information provided (and linked to) this post can help you make sure that your teams are helping you move forward and not causing distractions. These employees who bring the “bad juju” can be more than disappointing and distracting they can actually be harmful. They can be toxic.
Basically, toxic people can wear you out. They can mire you down. They can distract you. It’s easy to see why they’re best avoided so that your business and your life can continue on its pleasing, positive and profitable path.
Entrepreneur Magazine recently took a good look at this and came up with 8 toxic types of people that can ruin more than your day – they can be detrimental to the growth – and even to the survival – of your business. Their toxic traits can even encroach on your personal life. For most entrepreneurs, the lines between personal and professional is quite blurred – especially in your world – where your business is built around your life’s passion. And because that passion weaves your business into the lives of students and parents, these relationships are critical to the satisfaction level of your families and your growth. Just one toxic person on your staff can quickly pollute what you’ve taken years to nurture.
You may be able to think of more than the 8 types that we’re listing here. We’d love to hear about any that you feel are missing. And since it goes against everything entrepreneurs are about, we will not give you potential issues without options for resolving them. Please read 5 Ways to Tell If Your Workplace Is Really Toxic and 3 Strategies for Dealing With Toxic People to take the needed steps to rid your business of any potential carriers of toxicity.
So we’re starting off with those who are:
- Judgmental – criticize anything and everything
- Envious – believe your success should be theirs
- Control freaks – don’t listen because they don’t need to
- Arrogant – intimidate and annoy
- Victims – make excuses for mistakes
- Negative Nancies – thrive on bringing others down
- Liars – don’t deserve your trust
- Gossipers – exude insecurity
Part of dealing with these types of people (if you’re forced to do so) is about setting your own expectations and not getting frustrated yourself. Realize that they will be challenging and realize that if you understand what fuels their toxicity, you can work to diffuse it. These actions sound simple but they work in helping you to reduce or – even eliminate – the influence these toxic people have on the rest of the team and on your business.
