Toxic leadership is easy to recognize. Micromanagers hovering, petty bosses screaming, narcissists doing both, and what I call the “Godfather” personalities demanding subservience—all represent variations of the toxic leader.

Before becoming a CEO, I began a simple practice of engaging with co-workers. "What would you do in my position?" I asked team members, managers and leaders to make introductions and start conversations.

I am not a command-and-control leader. Though the hierarchical pyramid works for some, I prefer a framework that invites collaboration, flexibility and balance.

For the past year, our executive team has been working 70+ hours a week, including many weekends, to build and transform Lift Solutions into an industry-disrupting national crane, crane service and below-the-hook company.

After three years of raising pay, increasing benefits and writing empathetic newsletters, bosses evidently have regained their corporate grip. Or so we are told.

If a person had food on their face, would you tell them? If not, why? Everyone wants to avoid potential embarrassment.

Building a daily schedule can be a daily grind. In partnership with my executive assistant, I spend hours managing meetings, coordinating schedules and chasing time with those outside our system.

The CEO of Lift Solutions Holdings says proper overcommunication ensures that team members understand a leader’s vision, know where the organization is headed, and feel confident of their place in it.