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I’ll remember this forever…

I watched a colleague completely lose it at work. Not just anyone, a design lead.

Picture this:

360 review time. Team gives honest feedback about this toxic lead. "He doesn't listen." "His feedback is mean." "He takes credit for our work."

The normal response is usually "Oh I didn’t expect this, but thanks for the feedback Chris, let me work on this."

This guy's response?

Lashed out. Called an emergency meeting. Wanted to find out WHO said what. Blamed the team for "misunderstanding him"

Never apologised.
Never owned up.

The room went silent.

Culture = Dead.

I've never seen anything like this before.

However, I been around the block to know that most toxic bosses don't know they're toxic.

They think fear = motivation. They take credit, assign blame. And what kills me most: They ask for feedback but can't take it.

We've all lived this nightmare.

I used to work for a guy who would tweak my designs, then present them as his own ideas. When I finally got promoted to UX Lead, I swore I'd never be that guy.

BUT if I'm being honest, I probably was that guy sometimes.

The difference?

​Good leaders admit when they suck. They listen. They own their mistakes. They protect their team.

​Bad leaders protect their ego.

Your team always knows if you're toxic. They might not say it out loud. But they feel it.

And those feelings shape everything. From what they create to whether they stay.

Bottom line: Leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room. It's about making others feel smart, seen, and supported.

When that happens, performance follows.

Not because people are scared to fail.

Because they're inspired to succeed.

Don't be the leader people quit on.

Below I dive deep into all 10 toxic boss traits (plus what great leadership actually looks like). Real examples, practical fixes, and how to spot these red flags before your team culture is destroyed. Read the full article ↓

10 of the Worst Toxic Boss Traits