The quickest way to tell if you are working for a Narcissist is to pay attention to how they use rules and moral laws. 

A company has certain rules and laws they uphold to make things fair, whether they believe in them or not. Sometimes, there are regulations imposed on them to put people on equal footing. 

What we've found to be a key indicator of narcissism, and if you have a narcissistic boss, is their intentions with using the rules:

• Do they have the outward appearance of following the rules, but internally, they are using the rules to get what they want?
• Are they manipulating data to get the result they want?
• What is their driving intention towards interacting with the rules?
• Are they operating secretly, behind the scenes to set up an appearance of following the rules, or to move forward with a personal plan?
• Are you pressured to collaborate with them under urgent circumstances?

All these signs are red flags that you are working for a narcissistic boss. 

Now,...

Like the frog in a pot of water that does not realize it is being boiled as the temperature rises slowly, often we do not realize our stress levels sneakily rising during the holidays. 

It's important for managers to keep a good culture from going toxic during the holidays by being aware of their stress and how it affects their team. Here are 10 sneaky ways stress sneaks up with you at work... and how to bring yourself back to caring and empathy. 

10 Ways To Know You Have Surpassed A Healthy Stress Limit:

10.  You get an out of office message with a backup contact, and you email the first person asking for their backup contact (yes, this happens). 

9. You get an out of office message from a colleague with a date they are expected to return to the office, and you forget what the date is (or even that they are out of the office) and continue to email them asking for the date they will return (yes, this happens).

8. You complain to the person who sent you...

A toxic manager once told me that it was his worst bosses who had taught him the most in life.  That is an elegant thought but there is only so much suffering we can endure. The truth is, no one deserves to be treated unfairly by a person in power. 

Toxic work environments and abuse of power has to stop. This website is taking part in that (r)evolution. 

Most of my career has been under horrible bosses. My old manager was right in that they taught me the most -- they taught me what I was willing to accept in my life and what I wanted real empathy to look like in leadership. I decided to become my own boss. You can do that, too. Here's something to get you started.

How To Be Your Own Boss 

1) First, realize that being your own boss does not mean starting your own business (but you can if you want!) Being your own boss means empowering yourself to take responsibility for what you do, and perform quality work because if you were the boss, that's what you'd want. You...

by: Contributing writer

Have you ever wondered what makes an interview memorable to a manager? Do you struggle with getting noticed even if you have a significant skillset?

Sometimes a bad interview can dampen your vibe, and ruin the chances of getting where you want to be -- whether it be an internal move or landing that dream job. But it doesn't mean you have to pull a circus trick to get noticed. If you study, internalize and incorporate these 3 things, you'll be far ahead of anyone else in being remembered by the recruiter or hiring manager.

Here are 3 things I learned in my journey to make an interview unforgettable.

1) Know Your Purpose In Life

• What can you do better than anyone else?
• What can you do more effortlessly than anyone else?
• What gives you pleasure to do for hours on end which no one asked you to do?
• What interest could you research or talk about for hours & hours?
• What would you do if money were no issue?

Often your purpose in life is rooted in what you loved...

Why You Shouldn't Motivate An Unproductive Employee

How many of you have run a business, or managed a team which included at least one unproductive employee? Maybe this person has been the bane of your work life, and not being able to depend on them causes you stress? Perhaps after hiring him, you may believe that they have lied about their experience on their CV or resume? 

One of the toughest situations many managers regularly face, especially if they've inherited their team, is dealing with an unproductive employee. Consequently, many managers erroneously believe that the problem is caused by the employee's lack of motivation: If they are not performing, perhaps they need to be motivated. But this is rarely the case, as motivation is simply like placing a bandaid on a gaping wound. It doesn't address the underlying culture issues. 

When they find out inevitably that motivation and listening to them does not work, that's when managers often contact HR to help...

Studies show that 80% of people are not happy with their current job -- and the #1 reason is due to their boss being toxic for them. What I've found working in the industry of Human Resources is that most of the time, this is not the boss that hires them, but the boss who inherited them. 

Although there are other influences, the reason is simple: People like those who are similar to them. People will promote, give the best opportunities to, and cut the most slack for people who remind them of themselves. It's not something they are aware of, and often an entirely automatic response of human beings. The boss that hired you thought you were right for the job AND felt a connection to you because you were similar to him/her. The boss that inherits you often will not be like you, so he/she has the mindset of using you as a resource to complete what needs to be done because it's harder to relate to someone unlike themselves. 

It all depends on the boss and the person, whether...

As much as we try to avoid it, we as human beings are susceptible every day to baser emotions like envy, which results in hurtful gossip, unhealthy comparison to others, and sabotage. All of this contributes to a toxic environment in the workplace. Its effects exacerbate when we find our leaders, management, and bosses do not know how to transmute envy into positive and constructive emotions. 

Here are 5 toxic personas you should avoid at the workplace, especially if they are your boss! 

1.  Mr./Ms. Unpretentious

This type likes to cut the overly superior down to size. We may love this when they are attacking the braggarts, but the downside is - like the crab taking down any other crab that tries to escape the bucket - this type can never appreciate excellence. Their goal is to bring everyone one down to the same mediocre level they are so that they won't feel so bad about themselves. They have very fragile egos themselves. We only want to cut people down to size when...

How many of you were taught to “prepare your story” for an interview? Career experts would say that you must prepare your story so that there is a logical flow from all the points of the resume, and to embellish each aspect in the best light according to the position… but the reality is, if you have to prepare your story, and embellish it, it’s not really your real story is it? It’s some Hollywood version of your story. It’s not authentic.

What’s the cost to you of not being authentic?

Let’s say you convince a hiring manager to hire you in a job you won’t find long term fulfillment in, because you chose it primarily to look important or make more money. Or suppose you had the right job but was suddenly put under leadership that no longer was a good fit for you, but you did not do anything about it. What happens? Maybe the years will pass by monotonously and one day you’ll wake up wondering why you are not fulfilled in your...