TAMPA, Fla. — Toxic positivity is a destructive phenomenon where someone pretends to be relentlessly happy no matter how negative a situation can be.
In the workplace, toxic positivity can ruin employee morale and stop any kind of human connection.
“It's not having empathy, compassion, and understanding of others and immediately giving them some positive reframe, some new age idea, something that doesn't take into account what they're actually going through,” explained Satyen Raja, a mentor and coach to the world’s most prominent CEOs and business leaders.
Raja says a boss pushing toxic positivity can be destructive because employees see right through it.
“It doesn't allow our teammates to feel like we can trust them. We can believe in them. They feel like it feels like we're getting a lecture, constant lecture and marming from the other side, which, for most adults, they wanted, they're going to be turned off by that,” said Raja.
However, the solution is simple. Raja says you must be genuine, honest, and connect with your staff.
“It's really simple. Just ask for a true reading. Tell me, what's working? Tell me what's not working? Give me a state of the condition of this particular circumstance on a 1 to 10. What are we doing well? What are you doing well? What's going well?” said Raja.
And more than anything, he says bosses must be empathetic and authentic about what’s happening within the company instead of pretending it’s all fine.
“That's what we need to do. Get real, get objective, connect with our people, as if they are people. Recognize people go through ups and downs, like we do. Don't try to pretend that you're on a perch standing in some pontificating place. Because that height distance keeps you away from connection and trust in your teammates,” explained Raja.
He adds truth is more powerful than positivity.
“Truth, the reality getting down to brass tacks. Letting everyone express and share their challenges, what's working, what's not, what's great, what needs a dial-up, having the willingness to want to understand that and implement that, that gets your team to be super loyal, and with you,” said Raja.
