“Let’s add another million dollars to the forecast this year,” said our vice president excitedly. In our team meeting, he stood up and shouted, “We can do this! I believe in you! Let’s get it done!” while clapping his hands. Walking around the conference room, he alternated between patting team members on the back and offering fist pumps.
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Being happy and positive at work can be a win-win for employees and organizations. But what happens when your boss practices toxic positivity? No matter how bad or stressful the situation is or how difficult the circumstances, they convince themselves that simply acting happy or thinking positively will change the outcome — then spread this toxic positivity to their teams. By doing so, they put the responsibility on individuals to try to survive and persevere in broken and dysfunctional environments, without addressing the root causes at hand. How can you tell the difference between a boss who is optimistic, thinks positively, and coaches and inspires their team and one who practices toxic positivity? The author presents three red flags to watch for.
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