Dying a slow death on the job
Looking in the mirror one morning I could tell the life was draining out of my face. Most mornings I dealt with an upset stomach or nausea. My memory was getting worse and worse and I felt like I was part of the living dead. While I was walking around and going through the motions in bodily form, I had checked-out mentally to cope with the pain from dealing with toxic leaders making terrible decisions along with their despicable behavior. The normal, up beat, creative and jubilant Kevin was gone. Replacing him was a tired, irritable man ready for something to change.
What should have been my dream job turned into my road to Hell. All I wanted was to help create a great company with a positive culture where employees were treated with trust, dignity and respect. Things went well for a few years and then, snap, something changed within our top leaders. The ensuing months brought about misery to me as my superiors became more and more toxic with each passing week. I did not want to be a quitter. I did not want to leave a defeated man. Plus, I had a mortgage to pay.
Top leaders who are possessed by greed and are hungry for more money and power do not mix with creating a great workplace. I believe in capitalism, however, I have seen the destructive forces of greed and how it turns people into uncaring individuals who live simply for themselves. Great workplaces require leaders who actually care for people AND want the company to succeed financially.
Many years have passed and I am a much healthier, happier and fulfilled person helping to create great workplaces through The People Group. If, however, you find yourself in a toxic situation that is slowly killing you each day. Do yourself and your family a favor, find a different place to work or take some time off to recuperate and then find a new workplace. A 21st Century career should not kill you. Haven’t we become more enlightened than working ourselves to death?
Kevin Kennemer, the founder of The People Group, is a great workplace advocate, consultant, speaker and writer who blogs daily on relevant workplace issues regarding company culture, leadership, worklife trends, and how companies can exceed their financial performance expectations by treating employees with dignity, trust and respect.
