Rotten Things

While tossing out a rotten potato from my pantry that was making a nasty stink, it occurred to me that it only takes one such potato in the workplace for it to turn from healthy to unbearable. Poor leadership is often accompanied by a pervasive atmosphere of mistrust and fear. 

Bring to this environment middle-aged, mid-career people saddled with responsibilities of children, mortgage, aging parents, healthcare needs and more, you have the makings of a place where the stench from the rotten potato permeates everywhere.

You remove the source of the problem and it may be too late already. I had to eventually lose a few more questionable potatoes from the pantry and clean up after to clear the air. Sometimes it turns out that the whole bag needs to go - within the next few days. The parallels to the toxic workplace and a bag of potatoes are numerous and fascinating.