The Dangers of Toxic Positivity in Business

Have you ever worked with a leader that’s constantly selling positivity?

I’m pretty sure you know exactly who I mean.

They’re masters of fluffy emails full of meaningless crap. Their boring speeches ghostwritten by HR put you to sleep faster than a handful of Melatonin pills.

It’s as if they just can’t help themselves.

Everything is always going great - actually it’s probably worse than that: everything always sounds way too good to be true.

A complete disconnect from reality.

The harsh truth is that shit doesn’t do anybody any favours.

Au contraire - it’s counterproductive.

Polite Society

Let’s face it: you’re likely too polite.

And constantly beating around the bush.

So guess what? Your people are following your lead and doing the exact same thing.

Problems never get solved because you can’t have honest (but diplomatic) conversations with one another.

Shit just festers. And festers. And festers some more.

To a point where everyone holds grudges for things they dare not speak of, and you end up with a team full of people who resent one another.

I’m not saying you should run a Fight Club.

I know it’s not easy - most of us would prefer to provide positive feedback.

But you should try and build the kind of culture where feedback is welcomed.

Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

Admittedly, leaders do need to be able to articulate a promising vision for the future. Especially in tough times.

Perseverance is really good for business - but naïveté isn’t.

Ignoring a problem won’t make it go away.

If your people tell you they’re overworked, and your rebuttal is “We’re resilient”, you’re out to lunch.

When they tell you that they want to maintain their remote & hybrid work postures, and you respond with “We’ll build a better culture by coming into the office”, you’re tone deaf.

Absolute slaps in the fucking face. Might as well reply with a “I don’t know how to do my job”.

You come across as inconsiderate, incompetent and out of your depth.

And there’s no faster way to lose buy-in and credibility.

In these kinds of cases, you have two very simple choices: either help your people solve the problem or provide a strong rationale as to why you can’t.

Anything else is unacceptable.

Closing Thoughts

Don’t be fooled for one second.

I’m “Mr. Leading With Kindness” himself.

I’ll be the first to tell you why being optimistic, kind, and leading with your heart is important.

But that shouldn’t stop you from dealing with the real shit.

Be positive, but don’t be fucking blind.

Fix up before it’s too late...fix up before you lose the little bit of credibility you have left.

Happy Saturday,

Alain H.

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