LinkedIn’s Marsden Kline recently shared a brilliant breakdown of subtle signs of a toxic team @ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marsdenkline_subtle-signs-of-a-toxic-team-ugcPost-7349414694475993088-DNch?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA5cw_0Bz23_9Kx7HF9812NBlsMvfzsAPAs It struck a chord—because the problem isn’t just behavioral. It’s structural. It’s endorsed. And too often, it’s invisible to those who aren’t allowed to see it.

Let’s name the quiet truth:

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝘆𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱. 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗲.

From my experience, there are only two real situations in toxic cultures:

1️⃣ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆

The dysfunction is allowed to burn because the toxic individual is favored or delivers top performance. When management protects the person rather than the culture, damage becomes policy. Attempts to challenge it are met with silence, deflection, or vague promises.

- A-player leaves? That's data.

- Two? That’s a trend.

But no action. Why? Because fire, when protected, feels like warmth… until it scorches retention, creativity, and trust.

2️⃣ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔

Only with strong leadership will can the toxicity be named, addressed, and healed. Management must be brave enough to choose long-term culture over short-term comfort. Healing doesn't come from HR memos or team-building brunches. It comes from modeling accountability, openness, and consistency from the top down.

- Conflict must resolve.

- Success must be studied, celebrated, and systematized.

- Questions must be answered—not avoided.

Leadership isn’t just about strategy. It’s about emotional courage. Without it, all solutions remain on the whiteboard, never in the workplace.

That is all my little sharing.