Most people can recognize toxic behavior in others. The harder challenge is recognizing the ways influence and authority can quietly change us. Drawing from leadership research and personal reflection, Nathan Whitaker explores how power can affect self-awareness, relationships, and trust inside teams and organizations.
I heard from many of you about toxic behavior in your workplace after the post on toxic people in the workplace.
Emails. Conversations. Stories.
It struck a nerve.
Unfortunately, as you all recounted, sometimes the very behavior that frustrates us…works.
The person who pushes a little too hard gets noticed.
The one who raises their voice gets their way.
The difficult personality gets results…at least in the short term.
But there’s a trap hidden inside that.
Research from the Stanford Graduate School of Business has shown that when people are placed in positions of power—even randomly—they tend to change in predictable ways:
They become less sensitive to others.
More focused on their own needs.
And finally, more likely to act without worrying about how it affects those around them.
In other words, power doesn’t just give us authority, it can test our awareness.
It can lead to habits that might help us stand out early but quietly erode trust over time.
And leadership, at its core, is built on trust.
This is not just about “those people.”
It’s worth paying attention to in ourselves as well.
Am I listening as much as I’m speaking?
Am I aware of how my words land?
Am I using influence to serve—or to control?
Because here’s what I’ve seen over time:
You might be able to force results for a season, but you can’t sustain leadership without people.
And people respond to how they are treated.
Always.
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