Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh shares 5 signs to ‘identify a toxic manager,’ they are…

Ghazal Alagh, the co-founder of the personal care brand Mamaearth, has shared her thoughts on how to identify a toxic manager and what positive leadership looks like.

Ghazal, 36, said in a post on X that toxic managers “do not hire for productivity but to seek control because they want obedience.” She attached a graphic to her post listing five traits of toxic managers.

According to the list, the five traits are as follows:

Hiring for control, not productivity: Toxic managers don't seek talent, they seek obedience. They avoid problem-solvers and hire those who won't push back.

Discouraging questions: Their employees fear speaking up which slows down team's progress. Real leadership values curiosity, not silence.

Seeking approval, not ideas: A culture where only approvals matter leads to stagnation. Great teams thrive on fresh ideas and innovation.

Fearing feedback: A weak leader will avoid feedback but a strong leader asks, ‘How can we improve?’ rather than looking over tough conversations.

Building teams of ‘yes-men’: Success doesn't come from people who only agree, it comes from diverse minds who challenge what's not working and push for better.

Ghazal added in her post that real leaders hire people smarter than themselves, encourage new ideas, see feedback as an opportunity and not a threat, and value critical thinking.

How to identify a toxic manager

Toxic managers do not hire for productivity but to seek control because they want obedience.

Real leadership looks like:
- Hiring people smarter than you
- Encouraging new ideas, not just approvals
- Seeing feedback as an opportunity, not a… pic.twitter.com/llbXElz0uH

— Ghazal Alagh (@GhazalAlagh) February 21, 2025

Ghazal, who has over 63K (63,000) followers on X, often shares her thoughts and insights about work and entrepreneurship with her followers. Ghazal, along with her husband Varun Alagh, is the co-founder of Honasa Consumer Private Limited, which also includes brands such as The Derma Co., Aqualogica, Ayuga, BBlunt, and Dr. Sheth's