Question 1
My worst experience with a toxic coworker was when I got my first job. In our department, we were grouped into five teams, and the “toxic coworker” was our team leader. Being new to this organization, I had to interact with team members to get acquainted with the organization’s culture. One thing I didn’t know was that I was the only person in our team with a degree; others, including the team leader, had diplomas. In the course of our interaction, the team leader asked me about my academic qualifications, and I innocently answered, not knowing that this was the worst mistake. Everything changed from then. He made the other members of the team believe that I was bad, and with me in the team, nothing good could possibly be achieved. In most cases, he failed to give me directions and would report me to the boss, even when I did nothing wrong. He was bullying, frustrating, and made me feel so unhappy.
The boss wanted to know why I was the centre of all the blames. After the talk, he assigned me duties, which he was to supervise himself. With his clear guidelines, my performance was exemplary, and he was amazed. After two months of excellent performance, I was made the team leader. It was at this point that I understood the behavior of my “toxic team leader.” It was simply a personality disorder. He knew that, with my education, I would rise faster and displace people like him. So, he just wanted to frustrate my efforts. With my understanding, I didn’t take anything personal. I was soft, kind, and treated everyone with respect and courtesy. I didn’t mind whether they treated me as a friend or not.
