Every day, social media is flooded with posts about bad leadership.
Endless threads about toxic workplaces.
Broad, sweeping statements about “what great leaders do.”
Deep, motivational wisdom about “how to fix workplace culture.”
And you know what?
Most of them are written by people who haven’t stepped foot in a workplace in years.
People who work for themselves.
People who answer to no one.
People who built an entire platform on dunking on “bad bosses” from the comfort of their own home office.
And yet, their posts go viral.
Because outrage gets clicks.
The problem?
It doesn’t actually change anything.
THE trend that's more perfomative THAN PRODUCTIVE
It’s easy to be a thought leader when you have no one to answer to.
When your toughest workplace challenge is deciding what to post next.
When you don’t have to navigate office politics, conflicting priorities, or corporate red tape.
When your income doesn’t depend on your ability to manage a team or drive actual change.
That’s why so many “leadership experts” sound the same:
“Toxic bosses are the problem!”
“Workplaces need more psychological safety!”
“Great leaders care about their employees!”
No nuance.
No real solutions.
Just engagement farming in the name of “awareness.”
Because here’s the truth:
It’s easy to tell leaders what they should do.
It’s much harder to help them do it.
That’s the difference between preaching change and doing the work.
CHANGE IS HARD. YES, AND THAT'S WHY MOST PEOPLE JUST TALK
ABOUT IT
Real change?
It’s frustrating.
It’s slow.
It’s complicated.
It’s getting into the messy, uncomfortable reality of workplace dynamics.
Because here’s what influencers don’t talk about:
You can’t just “fire toxic leaders.” Leadership isn’t a personality contest. Organizations have systems, contracts, and legal implications to consider.
Not every bad boss is a villain. Some were promoted too fast. Some lack training. Some are drowning in unrealistic expectations from above.
Psychological safety isn’t a policy, but it’s a practice. And it’s not just on leadership. Employees have to be willing to engage in hard conversations too.
Workplaces aren’t perfect. People bring their own baggage, biases, and blind spots. Changing culture means changing behaviors. That takes time.
But none of that fits neatly into a viral social media post.
So instead, people stick to broad outrage.
And the people who actually want to fix workplace culture?
They’re too busy doing the work to play the algorithm game.
HERE'S WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE
If we want better workplaces, we need fewer performative leadership takes and more real conversations about what it takes to change culture.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Focus on Solutions, Not Just Problems
Yes, bad leadership exists.
Yes, toxic workplaces exist.
Yes, people are burned out and exhausted.
But what now?
If you’re just venting about the problem, you’re part of the noise.
Start asking:
What’s the first small step a leader can take today?
How do we create accountability without fear?
How do we teach feedback—not just demand it?
No, the answers won’t go viral.
But they’ll actually help people.
2. Stop Treating “Bad Bosses” Like a Monolith
Not every difficult leader is a narcissist.
Not every critical manager is toxic.
Not every company is out to exploit employees.
Workplaces are complex.
Leaders are under pressure too.
And sometimes, employees are part of the problem.
It’s lazy to act like every tough work experience is systemic abuse.
Instead of demonizing, start diagnosing.
Is this a skill gap or a behavior issue?
Is the leader resistant to feedback or just never been given any?
Is this a company-wide issue or a team-specific problem?
The answers matter.
3. Push for Real Change and Not Just Engagement
Do you want likes?
Or do you want impact?
Because real change doesn’t happen in comment sections.
It happens when:
Employees get the tools to navigate conflict, not just complain about it.
Leaders get coaching on how to receive feedback, not just be told they “need to listen.”
Organizations build accountability—not just post about it on social media.
That’s what I care about.
Not being a leadership influencer.
But helping leaders and employees fix what’s broken.
LET'S GET HONEST: ARE WE HERE TO HELP OR JUST TO BE HEARD
If your leadership advice only works in theory, but not in the real world, it’s not advice.
It’s content.
If your biggest concern is engagement metrics, not actual leadership development, you’re not helping.
And if the hardest workplace decision you made today was what to post on social media, then maybe - just maybe - you’re not the expert you think you are.
Because leadership isn’t about sounding smart.
It’s about doing the work.
And that’s what actually changes workplaces.
Who’s with me?
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