Toxicity and Creative Flow, Part I
Managers DO, actually, make a difference in your work life (Surprise?!)
It was my first job out of design school— and it was a startup! I had every hope to make a difference, do good design, and that design would change the world. I didn’t know how, but I felt like it was going to happen. But a couple of weeks in, I felt like I could not change anything. One of the biggest reasons was because of my managers. The interactions I had with the partners at this company were mostly toxic—poisoning—to the point that I physically felt bad both during and outside of work. These bosses didn’t understand what my role was, and they didn’t see how I could add value. I was new at EVERYTHING, and constantly trying to add value — to prove my worth by working hard. This great, self-motivated expression of devotion to a role and to a company is just part of who I am, but these four men were oblivious. They micromanaged me as well. They stood behind my computer and for an hour told me where to move things on my screen; they were playing me like a game of Battleship, and I was the “Illustrator Operator.” I was no longer a designer.
Yay. I’d “gained experience.” So, after suffering through eight months of working and trying very hard to make a difference, I decided it was time to start looking for a new job. In my second interview, I met my future manager. Through my crushed spirit, he could see I had potential. I had untapped passion and drive. He called me to offer me the job that very evening. In her book, Sheryl Sandberg remarks on the statistic that many mentors choose protégés based on potential:
“Intuitively, people invest in those who stand out for their talent or who can really benefit from help…” — Sheryl Sandberg
I needed help. I will always be grateful to this mentor for taking a chance on me as one of his first hires on that team. Looking back, it was quite impulsive for him to move forward that quickly. And that job experience completely catalysed my career.
Over the years since then, I have been asking myself what makes a good manager. Here are some of the questions I’ve asked myself:
- Which are the managers that I still keep in contact with?
- Does a good boss need to be both a manager and a mentor?
- Why is a good manager important to career growth, team dynamics and creative process?
- How can a manager avoid being toxic, and enable creative flow for their team?
I’ve tried to watch and see how high functioning teams flourish under great management. I’ve watched as friends have blossomed under an exceptional mentor. I have specifically seen that creative teams need space and support in equal measure.
Allowing for Creative flow
Here are three differentiators that have made a big difference on teams I’ve been on, and to me as an individual contributor. Someday, when I am the boss lady, I know I’ll work to do these things for my team.
Foster understanding, empathy, and provide balanced oversight.
A Toxic Boss doesn’t see your day-to-day work and still micromanages you. They are unaware of your well-being and your workload, they expect a lot but don’t take the time to know you. They cannot possibly understand the potential of their team until they overload their team to a breaking point.
In contrast, a Good Boss understands how you feel, asks if you want help, and steps in when you’re heading in the wrong direction. They learn how you work, and they suggest ways of working rather than commanding in a top-down approach. As an exceptional manager, you will master a fragile balance between oversight and overwhelm.
This means being keenly aware of project goals and facilitating creative flow by allowing teams to arrive at great solutions on their own.
Actually give a shit about individuals.
A Toxic boss doesn’t care about your career growth or progression. Because they don’t make time to understand your challenges, they rarely offer insight from their own past experiences. They probably don’t prioritise meeting with you on a regular basis, and rarely ask for your opinion. Their contextual understanding is limited to the scope of their role, and so they tell you things, instead of asking questions about what you need.
A Good Boss mentors you* and pushes you in ways that will help you learn and grow. Mentors can be a beacon of light when we are facing a stumbling block in our work. They can help us navigate the murky waters of interpersonal relationships, and office sexism or bigotry.
Mentors are fabulously useful, but sometimes we learn the most from mentoring someone else. A difficult question from your mentee can cause you serious reflection on your own challenges and how you overcame them. A great mentor sees these opportunities as an important part of their personal growth.
*Your boss doesn’t have to be your mentor. But a good boss cares enough about your improvement that she will suggest mentors to you and will work to provide opportunities for you to mentor someone else.
Empower your team. Trust them to do their best.
A toxic boss doesn’t believe you can change. You will feel more and more discouraged because you don’t regularly receive feedback. Especially not positive feedback, which is a way for you to measure your own progression and feedback. They swoop in unexpectedly to deliver take on the problem you’ve worked so hard to solve (I call this the “swoop and poop”). When they’re frustrated with you, you get angry backlash, and you fear for your work, your project or your team—and sometimes, you fear for your job.
A Good Boss believes you can change, and so they give you the benefit of the doubt. Always. They respectfully give you feedback about those changes you need to make and help you to move past barriers in your development. They follow up with you and regularly discuss with you about how you plan to change. You feel like they have your back, even though you’re not perfect. When you discuss important challenges in your work, you know where you both stand and have ideas on how to proceed. Because they trust in you, you trust in your colleagues. In my experience, when trust abounds and the work gets done better, and faster.
What has been the difference between team toxicity and creative flow, and what influence did management have? What ways have you been inspired by a manager you or a mentor? What has been the most frustrating thing you’ve experienced? Good management can be a great foundation for creative flow and innovation, but it isn’t everything. There’s a lot more to building a workplace devoid of toxicity…More in my next post!
Thanks for reading, I’m new to Medium. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, or find me on twitter: Meg Porter
