Reclaim Leadership Presence, Purpose & Power: From Imposter to Translator

READ Time - 4 minutes

"I've got a toxic person in my department poisoning the team and getting in the way of patient care. People complain daily, some have already quit, and I'm afraid that others will leave because they don't want to work with this person anymore!" She glanced at the door, lowered her voice, and confided: "I don't want to work with this person either. I even have job postings open on my screen right now. My whole team is falling apart, and I'm also thinking about packing it in!"

I hear this at least once a week from healthcare leaders. Here's what I tell them: "Don't leave before you get your breakthrough. If you run from this message now, you'll just find it waiting at your next job. This isn't a problem you're failing to fix - it's a systemic solution trying to emerge."

I have their attention at this point. Do I have yours?

A Personal Perspective: The Hidden Message in Our "Difficult" Moments

I've been on both sides of this. I've worked for executives who screamed and yelled, nostrils flaring, and I'm ashamed to say that despite my best intentions and commitments to never be like that, I've done the same things personally and professionally with people I care about, work with, and love.

I used to think this was a character defect until I owned my anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome and the effects that trauma-organized systems can have on human beings. What I discovered was that my reactions weren't character flaws - they were systemic invitations to work with the fragmented stress fractures inside me, hiding underneath that anger, reactiveness, and drivenness to control everything and everyone around me. 

That's when everything changed. When I stopped seeing "difficult" behaviour as a problem to fix and started seeing it as system intelligence trying to emerge, I discovered something profound: The very things driving us crazy in others often point directly to the transformation trying to happen in our systems.

The Hidden Language of Resistance

When you have a "toxic" person on your team, pay attention to:

• Reaction (angry outbursts, emotional responses)
• Resistance (pushing back, questioning everything)
• Retreat (withdrawal, disengagement)
• Retaliation (grievances, formal complaints)

These aren't character flaws. They're system messages in disguise.

What Traditional Solutions Miss

Most leaders try:

• Team building exercises (adds stress to an already strained system)
• Moving people to different shifts (spreads the dysfunction) 
• Policy enforcement (drives problems underground)
• Progressive discipline (creates more resistance)

These tactics fail because they fight the message instead of translating it.

Transform Your Approach

1. Before People Leave:

• Map your and your team's patterns of resistance and reaction

• Track what situations trigger most responses

• Pay attention to your leadership anxiety

• Notice when tensions spike

2. During Intense Moments:

• Move from managing behaviours to understanding patterns
• Transform "toxic" labels into system insights
• Stay present with what's trying to emerge
• Shift from containment to curiosity

3. When Conflict Emerges:

• Map all expressions of system pain
• Connect individual reactions to systemic patterns
• Use every form of resistance as transformation data
• Notice what your system is trying to say so you harness it

What? So What? Now What?

What: When good people start leaving because of a "toxic" situation, it's your system's loudest wake-up call.

So What: If you don't translate this message, you'll lose your best people and your leadership confidence.

Now What: Transform your approach from crisis management to system intelligence:

• See departures as system intelligence
• Decode the patterns rather than problems
• Let your most "difficult" situations guide you 
• Trust that your system is trying to help you grow

Your Next Breakthrough

That job posting tab you have open? Close it.

Your next breakthrough is hidden in the challenge you're facing right now.

Ready to translate these systemic messages and transform your leadership?

Book a confidential 30-minute System Reset Session where together we'll:

• Transform your systemic distress into a clear direction
• Decode what your system is trying to tell you
• Create a path to the breakthrough that's trying to happen
• Build teams where people choose to stay and thrive

[Book Your System Reset Session Now]

Helping healthcare leaders reclaim their presence, purpose, and power.

Here are 3 ways I can help when you're ready:

1. Listen to the Podcast: Join our weekly conversations [podcast link]
2. Subscribe to This Newsletter: Get weekly insights [newsletter link]
3. The 30-Minute System Reset Session: Get Consultation [System Reset Session]  

   In just one focused session, discover how to:

   ✓ Build teams that deliver the excellence you envisioned
   ✓ Transform toxic departments into retention magnets
   ✓ Become the leader you always knew you could be
   ✓ Create environments where staff choose to stay