We’ve been discussing toxic leadership and cultures this week. The military is not immune to this environment — in fact, it can be the worst.
During one of my assignments in the Air Force, I worked as a flight sergeant with a hand-picked unit. There was one senior NCO and one officer that oversaw the unit — we were lean and mean.
The officer was absent, simply put. He was more focused on school and getting ahead, so he was never seen — never interacted with the unit personnel.
Thus, the SNCO, ran everything. Everyone called him The Dragon. This guy invented “toxic.” His goal was to break down each NCO in the unit to the point where they would in turn break down everyone that worked for them.
He ran everything like a cult. He referred to people as “in his camp” or “not.” He would hold “camp” meetings at a bar off base (so he could get drunk and not busted) and he would give his sermons over whiskey and beer chasers.
The stories I could tell about The Dragon. See, in the military, you can’t quit your job to get away from a toxic culture. You just have to endure.
This needs to be solved … this toxicity needs to be eradicated from business and out life!
What toxic examples do you have?