When running a business, it is important to be mindful of the happiness of your most valuable asset: your employees.
Being attuned to happiness and work satisfaction includes being aware of those toxic habits and behaviours that alienate people – including (and perhaps most importantly) in yourself.
The secret is being open and able to recognize when you’re behaving in poor form, and to improve your behaviour immediately.
Below are 6 of the most toxic habits every business owner should seek to eradicate.
Taking It All Personally
When someone believes everything that happens in daily life to be a personal assault on them, they become extremely toxic to be around.
Instead of taking everything personally, try to remember that how people react to you is much more about them than about you. Reactions are the result of wounds, life’s experiences, personal filters, and even biases.
This isn’t to say that all feedback should be ignored. But it does mean receiving that feedback in a non-personal way.
Dwelling On Past Mistakes
It can be exceptionally toxic for the workplace when owners and/or managers are constantly holding on to negativity.
This includes someone who outright refuses to see the positive side of life.
Chronic pessimism is bad for business relationships.
Believing everybody to be “out to get you” is a recipe for unhappiness and disaster. This is a twisted way of thinking and of viewing the world and can and should be changed.
Playing The Victim
Your sense of victimization is your own worst enemy.
Believing yourself to be the victim, and portraying that belief to those around you, is exceptionally toxic behaviour. All it will ever achieve is to alienate those around you, and keep you stuck in a rut of negativity.
Only when you stop whining and complaining will you be able to discover your true inner strength and power to bring about positive change.
Lacking In Empathy
Having concern and compassion for others is crucial when running a business.
People can be cruel and destructive simply because they can, and because this helps them to feel better about their own shortcomings.
But those who enjoy tearing others down are cowards. Doing this in the workplace will not only damage those around you, but also reflect extremely poorly on you personally.
If you should find yourself guilty of tearing others down, you should look into your heart and find compassion by realising that we’re actually all human and all the same.
Needing A Lot Of Validation
Everybody knows just how exhausting it can be to constantly be around someone in need of all-day validation.
People who are constantly trying to prove their own worth, validate their actions, and win over the affections of their colleagues are both toxic as well as mentally and emotionally draining. If you need a win on your side rather take the time to enjoy a bit of online bingo instead.
Over-Reaction
Reacting excessively to every situation is the result of poor emotional self-management.
Losing it at every turn and reacting in anger to every miss-hap will turn you into a person who is unapproachable and deeply disliked.