What is a Toxic Team Member Costing You?

Milwaukee WI

12 October, 2021

1:29 PM

Description

My name is Consuela Munoz, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Business leaders hire me to master their strengths-based leadership because most are facing the "Great Resignation" and won't retain "A" players, maintain superior results and struggle to manage time, teams, and talents. So, I help build and engage their natural leadership style for ultimate success. You want to have the above-average team, that high-performance team, but you have that one member that is toxic, and you fear the toxicity is spreading. You know it is costing you, but what is the true cost of having one toxic team member? Even more, what can you do to solve this issue? Actual Loss of Profit Gallup found that a toxic employee, or actively disengaged employee, will cost you 34% of their annual salary. For someone making $60K, that is just over $20K. It is estimated that disengagement costs the US economy as much as $350 billion every year. Leader Credibility When you have a toxic team member it can weaken your credibility as a leader. Others that report to you may believe you don't know and can see you as incompetent. Even worse they may think you are aware, but you don't care or can't deal with the situation. This can lead to good employees feeling less safe and allow the negativity to spread throughout your team. High Performance Sacrificed The negative behavior of the toxic employee, if left unchecked, will damage the overall performance of the team. Some specific toxic behaviors like hoarding information, purposely undermining others, and pushing personal agendas over the team goals can sink your performance. Just as your credibility is weakened so is that of your team, causing other teams or customers to be less likely to want to work with your team. Your first thought may be to get rid of the toxic team member but that will not solve the issue. The problem of toxic or disengaged employees is often a result of poor leadership and/or workplace conditions. If those are not solved, more employees may become disengaged in that environment. Your first action should be to talk with the team member you feel is toxic. Make them aware of their impact on the team. Determine what is driving their behaviors. This is a chance for real understanding on both sides. As a leader, you must work to hold them accountable without being negative. This is a skill that can and must be learned if you are to lead a high-performance team. Consuela Munoz is a leadership and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. She is a trainer, speaker, and organizer of the C School. Following a 15-year career at a privately held, multinational company employing 13,000 with $10 billion in sales, Munoz founded Own Your Confidence in 2018. Own Your Confidence is located at 200 S. Executive Drive, Suite 101, Brookfield, Wis. 53005. For more information, contact Consuela Munoz at 262-537-5959 or by email at [email protected]. www.ownyourconfidence.com