Why Toxic Leaders Get Promoted (And How to Stop It), According to Eric Partaker

In a recent LinkedIn post, Eric Partaker discusses a critical pitfall in leadership: promoting individuals based solely on high performance, only to discover their toxic behavior is undermining the team. Partaker, a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO, argues that while results are easily quantifiable, the damage caused by toxic leadership often remains hidden until it’s too late.

Partaker shares a personal anecdote to illustrate his point, revealing a past mistake where he promoted someone based on impressive numbers. This decision, he recounts, led to his best employees seeking opportunities elsewhere, even as the financial metrics initially appeared strong. This experience led him to a key realization about the true cost of toxic behavior in leadership positions.

“High performance can’t fix toxic behavior. I once promoted someone for their results. A few months later, my best people started leaving.”

The Hidden Cost of Toxic Leadership

According to Partaker, the issue lies in how leadership effectiveness is often measured. He points out that toxic leaders can maintain the illusion of success because their tangible outputs are easier to track than the intangible damage they inflict on company culture and morale. This can lead to a cycle where toxic individuals are inadvertently rewarded and advanced.

As Eric Partaker notes, the signs of this hidden damage become apparent in subtle yet significant ways. He highlights two key indicators:

• A decrease in team members speaking up or offering innovative ideas.
• A rise in employees actively looking for other job opportunities.

“It shows up in who stops speaking up, and who starts looking for the door,” Partaker writes, emphasizing that these are crucial, albeit less obvious, metrics of a leader’s true impact.

Strategies for Identifying and Addressing Toxic Behavior

To combat this, Partaker advises leaders to look beyond the superficial numbers when considering promotions. He outlines three core strategies for evaluating potential leaders:

1. Observe Team Dynamics: Partaker suggests paying close attention to how a team behaves around a potential leader, especially after interactions. The team’s energy and demeanor can offer more insight than any financial report.
2. Address Bad Behavior Promptly: He strongly advocates for confronting and dealing with negative behavior early on, stating unequivocally, “High output never cancels out a toxic presence.”
3. Prioritize Your Best People: Partaker stresses the importance of protecting top talent, as their departure often signals a broader cultural issue and directly impacts results. “Protect your best people first. Lose them, and the numbers leave with them,” he advises.

Cultivating a Culture of Positive Leadership

Ultimately, Partaker argues that the most effective leaders are those who foster a positive environment. He concludes his post by stating that the best leaders are those who promote individuals that enhance the capabilities and well-being of those around them. This approach, in his view, is essential for safeguarding both company culture and long-term success.

“The best leaders promote the people who make everyone around them better. That protects your culture and your results.”

Partaker concludes by posing a question to his audience: “What’s the clearest sign a leader is toxic, no matter how strong their numbers?” This prompts further reflection on the multifaceted nature of effective and ethical leadership.