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Toxic leaders and harmful workplace cultures are a current and constant problem.

As technology replaces and changes jobs, it is important to engage in continuous learning and development.

Coping with stress and work-life balance is critical.

From bad leadership and workplace stress to the need for a sense of belonging and inclusion, these are some of the challenges leaders (and team members) face today and into the future.

1. Combating Toxic Leadership

There are simply too many bad leaders in government, business, and society. About 60 countries are ruled by dictators, overseeing about 40% of the world’s population. In the world of work, many leaders fail, and employees mention that bad managers/leaders are a huge source of dissatisfaction and stress.

Why are there so many bad leaders? Part of the problem is that we are drawn to strong leaders and we focus too much on a leader’s bottom-line effectiveness. All too often, we equate “success” (achieving goals, profits, etc.) with good leadership, but achieving huge gains at employees’ (and the environment’s) expense, is simply not good leadership.

Courage. Have the courage to stand up to a bad leader (risky, yes, I know), or to leave the toxic situation (see Chaleff, 1995). If someone else is being bullied or mistreated by a leader (or team member), speak up in defense. Don’t be a silent bystander.

2. The Changing Workplace

Technological changes have led to ever-changing and ever-evolving jobs. The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence has not only changed the way people work, but many workers are being replaced by AI and other advanced technologies. As the human workforce shrinks, this will become a serious social and economic issue.

Continue your education and developing work-related skills and competencies. Explore possible alternative career paths. Always be on the lookout for opportunities, not only to improve yourself, but to seek out other avenues for rewarding employment.

3. Employee Well-Being and Quality of Life

Research clearly shows that work stress is harmful, both psychologically and physiologically (Beehr, 2014).

Develop good workplace coping strategies, and seek out “balance” between your work life and home life. If possible, remove yourself from an overly-stressful situation.

4. Creating an Inclusive Culture

When employees don’t feel included or as if they "belong" in their work group or organization, it can lead to costly turnover and affect employee performance (Nishii & Mayer, 2009).

Leaders and organizational members need to be focused on making others feel like they belong as part of the team and organization. Here are some key points that leaders should focus on to make people feel included:

Learn all that you can about diversity and inclusion—have a “diversity mindset.”

Think broadly about individual identities beyond just race, gender, and sexual orientation (consider religious, cultural and subcultural, economic, political, age, disabilities, and other identities).

Think of ways that can help to create a culture that values diversity. What can you do to attract well-qualified and diverse team members?

Define inclusion and promote inclusive engagement as a central tenet of the organization’s culture.

Review existing practices to see if any run counter to the themes of equity and inclusion, and change those.

Encourage participation by all members. Empower members to voice concerns and make them a part of the process.

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Chaleff, Ira. (1995). The courageous follower: Standing up to and for our leaders. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Beehr, T. (2014). Psychological stress in the workplace (psychology revivals). Routledge.

Nishii, L. H., & Mayer, D. M. (2009). Do inclusive leaders help to reduce turnover in diverse groups? The moderating role of leader–member exchange in the diversity to turnover relationship. Journal of applied psychology, 94(6), 1412.

Ferdman, B.M., Prime, J., & Riggio, R.E. (Eds.). Inclusive leadership: Transforming diverse lives, workplaces, and societies. Routledge.

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