Recognizing and Responding to Toxic Culture
Toxic culture is harder to address than a bad manager because it's systemic. Here's how to assess your situation.
The Culture Red Flags
Trust your instincts if you see:- Blame flows down, credit flows up
- People are afraid to speak honestly
- High performers leave, politicians stay
- Rules apply differently to different people
- "That's just how things work here" is a common refrain
The Individual vs. Systemic Test
Can you point to specific individuals causing the toxicity, or is it everywhere? If it's specific people, you might outlast them. If it's systemic, the culture won't change until leadership changes.
Your Three Options
- Adapt and Survive: Build a protective bubble. Keep your head down, do good work, maintain your network outside the company. This is sustainable short-term.
- Fight from Within: Only if you have significant political capital and allies. Most internal reformers burn out or get pushed out.
- Strategic Exit: The most common right answer. But do it on your terms, not in a moment of frustration.
The Health Check
If you're having physical symptoms (sleep problems, anxiety, dread), your timeline just shortened. No job is worth your health.
What This Looks Like in Practice
The Scenario: Sarah, a VP of Product at a Series D fintech company, had been struggling for months. The CEO kept changing priorities, her engineering counterpart was difficult to work with, and she hadn't shipped a major feature in two quarters. She wasn't sure if the problem was her, the company, or something else entirely.
What She Did: Instead of resigning in frustration or suffering in silence, Sarah got clarity on what was actually happening:
- She documented the pattern of changing priorities—not to assign blame, but to understand if it was solvable
- She had a direct conversation with her CEO about decision-making processes
- She updated her network and had exploratory conversations, not to job hunt, but to calibrate her perspective
The Outcome: The conversations revealed that the CEO's behavior wasn't going to change—it was how he operated. Armed with this clarity, Sarah negotiated a transition timeline that worked for both parties. She landed at a company with a more structured leadership team within four months. Looking back, she wishes she'd started the clarity process six months earlier.
The Lesson: Clarity first, action second. Most people skip the diagnosis and jump straight to reactive moves.
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What You'll Walk Away With
Our structured session produces concrete artifacts, not just conversation.
Decision Snapshot A clear-eyed assessment of your current situation—what's true, what's not, and what actually matters for your decision.
Fork Recommendation A specific direction (stay, go, or pivot) with the reasoning behind it, so you understand not just what to do but why.
Risk Map Everything that could go wrong with your chosen path, and how to mitigate each risk before it materializes.
Conversation Scripts Exact language for the hard conversations you need to have—with your boss, your partner, recruiters, or anyone else.
14-Day Action Plan The specific steps to take immediately after our session, so momentum doesn't stall.
30-Day Roadmap The longer-term plan for executing your decision, with milestones and check-in points.
These aren't templates—they're customized to your specific situation, role, and constraints.
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Ready for Personalized Guidance?
Every situation is different. If you want help thinking through yours—with someone who's seen hundreds of similar cases—consider working with a coach.
What you get:- A structured conversation to clarify your situation
- Frameworks tailored to your specific circumstances
- Scripts you can actually use
- A clear action plan