Cultivate a Culture Against Jerks

Not all difficult individuals can be rehabilitated, but many arise from toxic systems and structural hierarchies that reward Machiavellian behaviors. Organizations often inadvertently promote these jerks through processes that foster a competitive and harmful culture. To combat this, leaders should examine their structures and interview processes to identify what allows such behaviors to thrive. Job seekers can minimize their chances of entering a toxic workplace by proactively networking and gathering insights from various employees within the organization, not just potential team members. One effective approach is to ask current or past employees to finish the sentence, 'Before I started this job, nobody told me that...' This can reveal hidden norms and expectations that are crucial for understanding the workplace environment.