[hinkley]

I tried and tried to fix a dysfunctional environment on a contract and my boss (also from the contract company) kept telling me “you can’t fix stupid”. Oddly despite being upbeat he was the first to quit.

I have driven culture forward before, but a couple lucky breaks can make you think you have more control than you really have and subsequently failing to change other people can feel like a personal failing instead of their issues being the problem. Internalizing that is toxic and that’s what my boss was trying to say but didn’t have the words.

[milesvp]

Yeah, my experience with company culture, is that you can exude a positive aura. You can make the people around you less miserable. You can put gentle pressure on other parts of the org to be just a little better. This all helps. A lot. But, it wasn't until certain toxic people left or were put in their place by upper management, that the real improvements came at the places I worked. These are things you just can't control. And if the toxicity is coming from the highest levels, there's just nothing to be done but try to buffer it best you can from those around you, and find ways to let it fall off your back so you don't internalize it.