How do you define AND identify a toxic leader?

I am only a SPC so I can't really say that I have an answer.  Sometimes we love an idea or something so much that we r not willing to let go or worry that should we let go, the next person coming behind us will have to go through the same thing we just witnessed; therefore we strive to bring change or fix the problem: I have concluded that the rank structure of the Army make is difficult for realistic situations to be dealt with unless it is taken out of the chain; that is if u really see a problem and want it fix. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice and be the 'bad' person so that others can benefit.

In my opinion, toxic leadership can be defined in several different ways. There are those who know their job, but do not know how to lead. There are those who know how to lead, but don't know how to do their job. There are those who simply know how to play the game to get promotions who know neither how to do their job, or how to lead.

Overall have been lucky to have some great leadership and mostly only witness the toxic leadership. The biggest form is the lack of humility that seems to be pinned on with rank. For instance, just the other day I overheard a newly pinned Major talking about how, "I can pretty much do whatever I want, it would take an act of Congress to demote me". This same officer only a couple of days earlier was screaming at me because I passed down information about a mandatory training event (as I was asked to do by the CO) and he was upset because he was "being told what to do by a f*ing SPC". (I am the Operations NCO by the way).

Aside from that, there are those who have tons of valuable knowledge and experience who choose to hold that to themselves as a "look how valuable I am, look how much I know tool" instead of using that knowledge and applying it toward training, making the junior troops that much better trained to do their job. The "got mine" type.

There are those who like to make themselves look or feel better by tearing down those around them or making them look worse.

There are those who see a soldier completely ate up, with no idea what their doing and choose to sit back with their little cliques and poke fun or make demeaning comments instead of offering a hand to help them, and teaching them how to do things correctly.

There is certainly those who are dishonest, disrespectful, untrustworthy, childish, egotistical, immature, etc.

My idea of a toxic leader is one who sets a standard then continually moves the goalpost when people meet or exceed that standard.  The toxic leader is one who is primarily narcissistic and chooses to destroy morale to make himself/herself look better.  The following quote by Major General John M. Schofield in 11AUG1879 says it well:  "The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment.  On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army."

SGT (P) Hill,

Why does the Army keep toxic leaders at all?

But what you are actually asking is why does the Army keep incompetent leaders...
There is a distinct difference between the two.
At the E-5/O-1 level, toxic mentalities are easily dealt with since they really lack the level of top over needed to create a toxic environment, so you can only call them failed leaders. And the Army has a way of dealing with that. It is called "Retention Control Point". Failure to achieve certain rank within a given time frame due to choice or incompetence, and the Army administratively releases you.

As for those of you complaining about E-6s who can't make E-7, don't. Central selection as well as rank allocations in some MOSs can effectively freeze some careers at E-6. You will also see more of this with the downsizing. There is one thread where a Soldier is saying that if he isn't picked up this year, change in Time in Service (TIS) requirements may mean he won't be looked at for 5-7 more years. Those of you who have achieved E-6 in 4 yrs will be sitting at that rank for 10 before you will even be looked at for E-7 starting next year.

So, is your issue toxicity or incompetence? If it is toxicity, report them for the hazing, violations of command, SHARP and EO policies. Report them for the way they persistently demean, undermine and exploit their junior Soldiers. If it's incompetence, give it time and it goes away, even if the NCOs command is too incompetent to administratively release them in a timely fashion..

Depends, are you superior to the toxic leader? Relieve them. <br>Are you a peer? Peer counseling or raise it to your Command.<br>Are you junior? Hope that the problem isn't to deep and that it can be
resolved through an open door.<br>Be careful broaching the subject if you are jumping chain. You don't
want to be perceived as trying to break up a "winning" team, or as a non
team player. If that happens, your career is toast and I'll see you
working at the Wal-Mart in 3 years.

To try and do your best to work within the issue and protect the victims first and go forward with what is necessary to deal with the leadership or the higher command for guidance on the situation.

SSG Ruiz, I was in this situation before but it wasn't toxic it was just too strict to a point that the morale still went down. This was on the last deployment where a squad leader made the list and they made him the PSG, great person but to me he thought we were still in basic training and he was still the drill sergeant, A LOT OF MICROMANAGING!! this is a person that does't trust nobody and thinks he's always going to get back stabbed. Look at this pass weekend, why does mass punishment exists? I join the Army on my own no one else signed my contract, so why are we still mass punishing companies for one individuals piss poor mistakes? I say if a leader holds that person accountable for his/her piss poor decision and makes an example out of that person the outcome would be better in general. Soldiers are not freaking kids they are adults and should know right from wrong. everyone has its own opinion about different types of toxic leadership but until we start making them take responsibilities for their own actions this toxic stuff is going to be around for a long ass time.