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A Mini Oasis

Adam Grant tweeted:


And it hit me: If the bosses were being problematic and the toxic culture somehow spilled into my workplace (which is physically not in the same place as the top management office), it is NOT my job to fix it. My job is to protect and support my team, not hope or try to change the bosses' attitude. If the bosses somehow have other (boring) priorities, I can voice out my opinion and just accept it when they denied my request. 

I was only 30 when I took up this manager post. I did not have any prior experience as a manager and I always tried my best to please the bosses. I only took the post because I was looking for challenge. I thought that winning each battle was the top priority. I only changed after I enrolled in MBA, especially after learning about organizational behaviour. As fate has it, in this department there was an MBA program for medical officers interested in management. I started my course and fell head over heels in love with it. I graduated with a 3.98 CGPA which now I have no idea what to do with it. (Please do not let my lecturers find this post lol).

Okay back to the tweet.

Adam Grant's tweet made me realize that within a toxic working environment, it is possible (and totally acceptable!) to create a mini oasis within the dry desert. If the manager at a certain level of organization, can shield the team from the toxic spill from above, he or she is already doing a good job. A working environment can actually differ within the same organization as units and sub-units exist. 

Toxic leadership need not define each level of organization. As a leader, no matter how small your team is, you have a role to play in constructing the working environment. A workplace far from the toxic headquarter or a mobile team is an added advantage.

The tweet can also be viewed from the eyes of being a member of a family. After all, a family is also an organization with different units and sub-units. If the older generations refused to change or adapt their ways to the current situation, it is the parents' duties to protect their children against any negativity from them. If the parents are the source of toxicity, the siblings can protect each other. In Asian culture, voicing out difference or simply just speaking up is considered disrespectful. Therefore, most of us just stay silent when being berated by older people. So, it is helpful to remember that our responsibility is not to fix the negativity, but only to protect our loved ones from it.


Realizing your limits and prioritizing the people you love while you are battling the constant challenges in life are important. At times, we forgot the things that matter. Nowhere is perfect in this world. We only try our best to make the best out of what is given to us.


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