toxic bosses, range, and how to learn faster

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Welcome to Teams, Talent & Productivity, brought you by Midnight Labs, the remote and hybrid teams specialists. We help teams become high performing and happy by improving their team dynamics, skills, and ways of working with modern data-driven solutions.

Recent Newsletters:

📰 adaptive this, adaptive that, and task switching
📰 funny bones, neural growth and decision making
📰 why human relationships are kind of a big deal...

In this week’s newsletter: 

• Teams: Toxic Managers

• Talent: Developmental Range

• Productivity: Increasing Your Learning Productivity

Teams

Toxic Managers

Like many people, I have been unlucky enough to suffer from a toxic manager. The feeling of anxiety whenever I would see their name on my screen, the dread in my chest that would start a week out from an upcoming one on one. Trying to remain professional as they spent those one on ones criticising you without offering any guidance, or bad mouthing your colleagues behind their backs. Quitting without another job lined up was one of the best decisions I ever made in my career, however below we provide some advice to those dealing with toxic managers I wish I was given back then.

What Research Tells Us About the Impact of Toxic Managers 

Research consistently shows that toxic managers have profoundly negative effects on both individuals and teams. Studies like the one conducted by Housman and Minor (2015) reveal that toxic employees and managers can significantly degrade organisational performance, leading to increased turnover, lower employee morale, and substantial legal and regulatory costs. Toxic leadership is often characterised by behaviours associated with the "Dark Triad"—narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism—which contribute to a hostile work environment. Additionally, a study by Koropets et al. highlights that exposure to toxic management leads to heightened levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout among employees. The ripple effect of a toxic manager can also reduce team cohesion, stifle innovation, and diminish overall productivity, illustrating the critical need to address toxic leadership in organisations.

Practical Advice Dealing with a Toxic Manager

Dealing with a toxic manager requires a strategic approach to protect your well-being and maintain professionalism. First, document instances of toxic behaviour meticulously, noting dates, times, and specific actions. This documentation can be crucial if the situation escalates and formal complaints are necessary. Secondly, set clear boundaries to protect your personal space and time, especially if the manager frequently invades your off-hours. Seeking support from HR or a trusted mentor within the organisation can provide additional resources and strategies. Lastly, focus on self-care to manage stress and prevent burnout. Engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining social connections outside of work, and possibly seeking professional counselling can help mitigate the negative effects of a toxic work environment. Remember, while it is essential to address toxic behaviour, prioritising your health and well-being is paramount.

Talent

We continue our deep-dive series on the five interrelated developmental principles outlined in Immordino-Yang et al.’s recent paper, this week it is: Developmental Range.

What is Developmental Range?

The principle of developmental range emphasises that human development and learning are dynamic and context-dependent rather than linear or unidirectional. It proposes that individuals know and can do things in context, which changes internally within the embodied individual and externally within the sociocultural space. Thus, meaningful knowing or doing is more akin to conjuring an organised potential or disposition to act or think in a particular way than it is to retrieving a stored entity. This principle highlights that no knowledge or skill exists as a stable, durable property in the brain, ready to be deployed at any time. Instead, knowledge and skills reflect dynamic potentiations enacted as active adaptations within specific situations​​.

Example of Developmental Range

An example of developmental range can be observed in the mathematical skills of children from street vendor families in Kolkata and New Delhi. These children often display advanced applied maths skills when working in real-life contexts, such as calculating prices, giving change, and managing transactions. However, these same children may struggle with formal maths tasks in the classroom. The discrepancy arises because the classroom context does not leverage the practical knowledge these children have developed through their work. This example illustrates how developmental range influences the way individuals apply their knowledge based on context and their developmental pathways. The children's maths abilities are context-dependent, thriving in the familiar and practical environment of street vending but not as effectively transferred to the structured and abstract classroom setting​​.

Application in Organisational Learning

In the context of organisational learning, the principle of developmental range highlights the necessity of creating learning environments that are flexible and responsive to the dynamic nature of knowledge and skill acquisition. Corporate training programs should move away from one-size-fits-all approaches and instead offer multiple entry points and pathways to accommodate the diverse developmental ranges of employees. This means recognizing that an employee's ability to apply new knowledge or skills depends significantly on the context and their prior experiences. For instance, an employee might excel in problem-solving tasks within a collaborative team setting but struggle when asked to perform similar tasks in isolation. By designing learning that considers these contextual variables and individual differences, organisations can enable more effective and meaningful learning experiences that enhance overall employee development.

Productivity 

What is Learning Productivity

When people think of improving productivity, usually their first thought is to focus on work tasks, however an often overlooked aspect of productivity is learning productivity. As in, decreasing the time it takes to learn and increasing how much you are able to retain. Effective learning productivity can lead to faster skill acquisition, better job performance, and a more adaptive approach to new challenges. 

The Science Behind It

The science of learning productivity is based on the principles of neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and change in response to new experiences. Making and correcting errors during the learning process is essential for neuroplasticity. When we make mistakes, our brain releases neurotransmitters like dopamine, which signal that learning is taking place and help consolidate new information. For example, repeatedly failing and then succeeding in tasks can lead to stronger neural connections, as seen in motor learning studies involving athletes and musicians​​​​.

Furthermore, studies show that the timing of learning sessions can impact productivity. Our brains have natural rhythms, and aligning study sessions with periods of high mental acuity can enhance learning efficiency. For most people, this means engaging in intense learning activities during the morning when the brain is most alert and reserving less demanding tasks for the afternoon.

Some Practical Tips

To boost your learning productivity, start by setting clear, achievable goals for each study session. Break down complex topics into smaller, manageable sections and use active recall to reinforce your learning. Ensure your study environment is conducive to concentration—this means minimising distractions and possibly using tools like white noise or instrumental music to enhance focus. 

Incorporate physical activity into your routine, as exercise has been shown to boost cognitive function and memory. For example, a study by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia found that even a 20-minute bout of exercise can facilitate information processing and memory functions. Engage in regular review sessions using spaced repetition to ensure long-term retention of information. This method, supported by cognitive science, involves spreading out learning over time rather than cramming, which has been shown to improve retention and understanding​​​​.

Finally, prioritise sleep and relaxation; the brain consolidates memories during sleep, making rest an essential component of effective learning. Dr. Matthew Walker, a sleep scientist, emphasises that sleep is a critical component of learning and memory consolidation. Inadequate sleep can impair your ability to learn new information by up to 40%.

I hope some of this was useful to you, if it was, please feel free to subscribe if you haven’t already so you don’t miss the next one 🙂 

Thanks for reading!

Midnight Labs