[Icemaster]

We really should get a beer and talk. BTDTBTFTS.

Over the past 15 years I'd say the balance is 75/25 toxic to healthy. In the cases where the leadership at the C level is benevolent, the subordinates were a basket case as they jockeyed for position/favor/visibility, their behavior cascades downstream as it's seen as the de-facto standard and accepted as normal. There's usually someone screening the C level's playing the "everthing's GREAT!!! Look at everything we've done!" game as they pull out the carpets to hide the bodies. C Level's are blissfully ignorant or complicit in that they don't ask the right questions.

The worst case of it I experienced culminated when I asked the VP of HR how many more were going to quit, and whether anyone was actually reading the exit interviews. Chief instigator was gone two days later. But...it didn't end, and I hear all these years later it still hasn't. It was textbook sociopathic behavior.

It was an invaluable life lesson, once burned you know what to look for and I saw it in damn near every client I worked with thereafter, which made it easy to adapt and prevent **** from raining down on my staff or myself. Most of the time. In the times it didn't I had enough tricks and ammo in my pockets to send the subtle message that it's in everyones best interests to play nice and let everyone get on with their jobs, they can take credit for the success and pat themselves the back after we're done, paid and gone. There are also times where you just have to walk away and nuke them from orbit.

Point being, they do exist in all classes and at all levels, the higher up you go the more sociopathic and narcissistic the behavior becomes. Toxicity is really a way of life unfortunately for a lot of folks, the ones who are the most successful know when to turn it on and off. Kind of like a broad spectrum herbicide vs. one that only kills dandelions.

I've done a lot of reading on this, understanding motivations and behavior pays off well when dealing and managing the irrational personalities, better allows one to provide high cover for ones staff and cohorts.