Innovating Leadership:
Co-Creating Our Future

Hosted by Maureen Metcalf

Conversations with global thought leaders on leadership, culture, and innovation—designed for executives navigating complexity and building resilient organizations.

A Cure for Toxic Leadership

Episode Description

Raj Subrameyer speaks with unusual candor as a self-described former toxic leader, describing how his own anxiety, anger, and sleeplessness rippled outward to harm his team as much as himself. His path out centered on self-awareness and, perhaps surprisingly, personal branding, which he frames as intentional self-investment that makes a leader more comfortable in their own skin. He offers five practical strategies, from expanding networks and committing to continuous learning to setting clear goals and working with coaches, arguing that a healthier relationship with yourself produces healthier team dynamics.

Key Takeaways

Toxic leadership behaviors like anxiety and anger harm the leader and the team in equal measure.
Greater self-comfort and self-awareness translate directly into better team dynamics and culture.
Expanding professional networks and committing to continuous learning support personal growth.
Increasing visibility and setting clear vision, goals, and tasks help leaders find direction.
Investing in coaches and mentors accelerates the shift away from toxic patterns.

Why This Episode Matters

Executives come away with an honest, first-hand roadmap for recognizing toxic patterns in themselves and replacing them with the self-awareness that healthy teams depend on.

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Featuring

Raj Subrameyer, Tech Career Strategist

Episode Topics

Culture Change • Leadership Capability & Maturity • Team Effectiveness Under Pressure

Podcast Air Date

June 28, 2022

Episode Duration

55min

Watch the episode

Season 8

Episode Number 23

Episode Content:

How To Build Your Personal Brand

Raj Subrameyer, a tech career strategist who focuses on helping people land their dream job and become successful leaders provided this article as a companion to his podcast A Cure for Toxic Leadership.

There is ONE THING that will set you apart from your competition in 2022

There are millions of jobs that have already been lost.

Thousand of businesses have already closed down.

So, a lot of people are looking for opportunities to start their next chapter.

That being said…

When there are thousands of people applying for the same job as you are,

-What is going to make you get that job?
-What will make you stand out from the rest of the crowd?
-What is going to make the company CHOOSE YOU over others?

The ANSWER IS: It is your PERSONAL BRAND.

It is different facets of you, that will eventually make the difference.

So, how do you build your personal brand in this highly competitive market?

Here are five things you want to do to build your personal brand and stand out from the crowd and 2022.

The first thing is to grow your network, start following people engage in posts, attend meetups conferences.
The second thing is continuous learning, read books, articles, and take courses.
The third thing you want to do is be more visible. Start writing for publication, write blog posts, write articles, bit yourself for podcasts. That’s how you’re going to be more visible.
The fourth thing you want to remember is to have clear vision goals and tasks. Because a goal without a plan is just rubbish.
The final thing you want to do is invest in yourself. Hire coaches, get mentors, get a degree, because you have to be prepared to spend some money on your growth because you are worth it. You deserve it. And that’s how you’re going to stand out from the crowd.

Resources:

Raj Subrameyer knows about toxic leadership first-hand: HE was a toxic leader. Fortunately, Raj learned before it was too late that the toxins affect the leaders just as much as their teams. Anxiety, depression, anger, sleeplessness, illness…they all mount up. In this episode, Raj talks about his former leadership style, and his subsequent journey to a better work life. In the process, he reveals lessons on personal branding. It’s not unrelated — the more comfortable you are with yourself, the more comfortable your team becomes in working with you.

Other episodes you’ll enjoy

Turning Conflict from Avoidance to Advantage with Mike Morrow-Fox
The Human Energy Crisis at Work with Joshua Freedman
Leading with Care in a Tough World with Bob DeKoch and Phillip Clampitt

Guest(s):

Raj Subrameyer, Tech Career Strategist

Guest(s) Bio:

Raj Subrameyer is a tech career strategist focusing on helping people to land their dream job and become successful leaders. He is passionate about guiding professionals to maximize their opportunities and discover their zone of genius. He has given multiple TEDx talks and is a sought-after speaker at various conferences and has been featured in numerous TV news segments, podcasts, and publications, including CBS, FOX, NPR, NBC, Entrepreneur, CIO Magazine, CEOWorld Magazine, Authority Magazine, Career Addict, Thrive Global, Addicted2Success and The Good Men Project. His areas of expertise include career advancement, leadership, motivation, productivity, and entrepreneurship. In his spare time, he loves traveling and enjoying craft beer. You can find more info about how he serves people through his website – www.rajsubra.com.

Transcript