As part of USA TODAY’s series, Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles human resources questions. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest association of HR professionals, and author of Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.
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Question: The group I work for is one of the most profitable departments in the company, and managers often resort to intimidation and public humiliation to get results. He has a number of personnel complaints, but senior executives protect him because “the numbers are strong.” Should Consequences Excuse Leadership Abuse? – CJ
Answer: Never. Strong performance does not justify weak character. Can demonstrate high performance and A respectful workplace. Great leaders demand excellence without degrading their people. Abuse is not leadership. It’s a failure of disguise.
Intimidation may result in short-term victories, but it leaves long-term scars on people, culture, and profits. Fear-based management alienates talent, stifles creativity, and creates reputational and legal risks. A culture of fear may encourage people to meet quarterly goals, but it does not support sustainable business.
However, we must be careful not to confuse demanding leadership with abusive leadership. High-performing organizations require accountability. If someone consistently underperforms, the resulting discomfort or fear of job loss does not automatically mean that the leader is toxic. The difference lies in how expectations are set and ideally carried out with fairness, consistency and respect.
It is also important to distinguish between high-performance and toxic cultures. Great leaders have high expectations, give honest feedback, hold people accountable, and do it with respect. When managers cross the line into humiliation and intimidation, they can no longer improve performance but destroy trust.
This is the truth. The organization tells you what it will tolerate. When senior leaders defend a manager with multiple HR complaints because they are “strong in numbers,” they are sending a clear message that results are more important than people. Over time, that message hurts engagement and drives out top performers. No one wants to work somewhere where they have to sacrifice their dignity to succeed.
This problem often starts with how a company promotes itself. Frequently, top performers – the best salespeople and engineers – are promoted to management positions with little or no training. But being effective at your job is not the same as being effective at leading people. Without proper development, managers may default to exerting pressure and controlling because they don’t know how to do otherwise.
But the answer is not to lower standards. It’s about developing leaders. Great organizations treat human resource management as a learned and measurable skill. They set clear expectations for leadership behavior, use 360-degree feedback, and evaluate managers. how They not only achieve results; what they achieve.
Yes, numbers are important, but so is how you deliver them. Great leaders lift people to new heights, but they don’t push people down to get there.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
