AXA Certified Ass Ogre (CAO)

Toxic leadership is the right way to describe the leader who head an organization who stresses everyone that works with him. This should not be confused with tough leadership. There are characteristics of a toxic leader which you must recognize before you decide to work under such poisonous cloud.

These leaders may or may not recognize that they are behaving "toxic" themselves. But people who work under them inevitably will begin to use words like “destroy – either someone’s career or the company, bully, threaten, yell, back stab, belittle, and working under him/her is hell.”

Tear Others Down - In Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Level 2 is Safety and Level 3 is Sense of Love and Belonging Needs. In level 4 it is Esteem and Level 5 is Self-Actualization. In all likelihood, toxic leader have not satisfied their safety, and sense of love and belonging needs, let alone esteem and self-actualization. It is this need for safety that he enjoys in bullying people, terrorize their subordinates and belittle them.

Impressive Asshole - Bully seldom notice that he is a Certified Asshole. This is because he is often articulate and enthusiastic when he sees his boss to give reports. He is good at achieving short term goals at the expense of his subordinates like you. To his Boss - he is impressive. So - his boss turn a blind eye or worse - is blinded. There is a sense of toxic leadership in axa affin - even his boss is toxic himself! Under a toxic leadership, leaders do not concern themselves with staff morale or even axa affin culture. He is arrogant, self-serving and moronic.

No Concern Well Being - Under a Certified Asshole – the well-being of the staff is not a concern. He is only concerned with their own selfish goals. He does not care about how you feel, how you work, how much pressure he put on you so long as he gets what he wants. It’s not even what the company wants as he views this as a stepping stone to his own long term goals that may or may not even involve the company.

Calamitous Culture - Inevitably, a Certified Asshole boss would create a calamitous culture within axa affin. He created a devastating effect on people’s career and even mental health. A Certified Asshole have personalities that have a destructive effect on axa ffin culture. The yelling, manipulation, belittling and back stabbing creates a culture where trust is near zero with such leaders.

Acts of Cowardice - A “toxic” Certified Asshole leader does not have to be someone who yells and is aggressive. His “Smiling Tiger” leadership style gives you an impression that he is sincere and trustworthy! This is just a façade to mask their inadequacy as leader - competence or trust wise. His act of cowardice can come in many forms but namely indecisiveness, the resolve to make important decisions and determination to see a tough decision through. But it can even be as small as making a presentation to a less than friendly agency members or facing tough agency leaders.

Zero Confidence – Agency have zero confidence - this Certified Asshole - can lead (at all). Besides not caring about the company’s guidelines - he is incompetent in the skills needed to execute the job. Every day -  staffs and agencies go through unnecessary stress and as the days drag on – we get to feel more and more hopeless about the future.

Lack of Respect and Trust - These two values are the most important for an organization. When leaders and subordinates lose these values, then axa affin eventually collapses. Hundreds of employees and agencies bolted to join better managed competitors (AIA, Prudential, Allianz, Great Eastern).  Trust has to be gained, and respect has to be earned. When the Chief Asshole works with toxic leadership, derogatory words, foul language - his inadequacies will not create trust and respect. In turn, due to his lack of competency and less than desirable personality – we find it hard to trust and respect him.

If you work under toxic leadership and the signs are showing, make a decision. If there is no recourse, make plans to leave before it suffocates you.