Everyone thinks leaving a toxic job is the hardest part. It is not.

Everyone thinks leaving a toxic job is the hardest part. It is not.

Three months into his dream job, Matteo (name changed) still heard his old boss in every meeting.

Not literally. But you know what I mean.

His new team was delivering. Client satisfaction was up. People actually liked working with him.

And yet.

Every time someone pushed back on his idea, a voice said: "Real leaders don't get challenged." Every time he asked for input, the same voice: "Leaders decide. They don't ask."

This is what Matteo told me during one of our sessions. He had been coaching with me for a few months after leaving a toxic workplace.

The toxic boss was long gone. But he had moved into Matteo's head rent-free.

In one of our coaching sessions I asked him: "What makes you think your approach is not working?"

Long pause.

"Actually... it is working. My team delivers faster than anyone else's. People want to work with us."

Another pause.

"But I keep waiting for someone to tell me I am doing it wrong."

That is the real damage toxic workplaces leave behind. Not the lost time. Not even the bad memories.

It is the rewired brain. The one that has learned to doubt exactly what is working. The one that mistakes kindness for weakness. The one that keeps someone else's voice playing on loop long after that someone left the room.

Here is what I want to ask you:

How do you get rid of toxic voices in your head?

PS: Let me help you too. I dropped a list of "20 Habits You Should Stop Doing Now" in the comments. Go grab it.

#change #executivecoaching #culture

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