🎶 What they do? They smile in your face… All the time, they want to take your place… The backstabbers. 🎶
— The O’Jays, 1972
Have you ever worked in a toxic environment where the culture is to divide and rule?
That’s the question that flashed through my mind the moment “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays started playing, and it just stayed in my head. You know the kind of place where coworkers smile in your face but undermine you at every turn. Where leadership uses gossip as a strategy and pits people against each other like pawns in a game. Where visibility is weaponized and trust is an illusion.
It’s easy to dismiss this kind of culture as something from old-school office politics, yet it’s alarmingly present in many modern organizations, no matter the size or even digital-first businesses. Despite all the talk about collaboration, innovation, and transformation, these environments still allow toxicity to thrive, especially when performance is prioritized over people. This I know from experience as I have seen it in so many organizations that I have worked in. It’s important to keep you back to the wall to protect yourself from the backstabbers. The most frightening thing is you don’t know who to trust. You are not certain who is a friend, who is the enemy, and then there is the friendenemy. If you don’t have great instincts, then it’s like walking through a landmine every day. This is so stressful, and it’s hard to get up and go to work daily. You find ways to protect yourself until you can leave because it is all about self-preservation.
I remember once listening to an executive explaining why a member of staff could not get the same benefits that the person they replaced received. Excuses ranged from they were not as good as the other person to their mode of dress. It boiled down to who was liked better. Then they said without realizing you know how this company is, it’s all about personality, everybody doesn’t get the same things. In my mind I realized it was also which one carried “news.” I thought of a quote from the classic, Animal Farm, “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.”
Toxic workplace culture rarely wears a name tag. It’s subtle. It looks like forced camaraderie but feels like isolation. It sounds like “we’re a family here”, but only if you play by unspoken rules.
In these environments, “divide and rule” becomes an unofficial policy. Individuals who challenge the status quo, think independently, or advocate for ethical transparency are often sidelined or silenced. Instead of investing in team cohesion and trust, leaders reward those who play politics best, often the very backstabbers The O’Jays warned us about. And let’s be honest: backstabbing isn’t just about betrayal. It’s a systemic issue, rooted in organizational culture, how power is distributed, how conflict is managed (or avoided), and how values are either lived out or conveniently ignored.
Many leaders underestimate the power of culture. They focus on performance indicators and the latest digital tools while ignoring the emotional turbulence that their teams are swimming in. But toxic culture undermines even the best digital transformation strategies. You can’t innovate at a high level when your people are afraid to speak up. You can’t collaborate when trust is hanging by a thread. And you certainly can’t scale to the next level successfully if everyone’s looking over their shoulder.
The antidote to a “backstabber culture” isn’t something that can be solved just with a better HR policy; it takes courageous leadership. It has to start from the top. They have to be willing to cut off the head of the poisonous snake. Leaders must create spaces where people can disagree, challenge ideas, and grow, without fear. How are persons rewarded? Is promotion transparent or is it played via politics? Who gets promoted and why? What behaviors are reinforced? These decisions shape culture more than any mission statement, which are just seen as pretty, empty words.
Understanding how your team feels is just as critical as knowing what they do. And for individuals navigating a toxic environment , protect your peace, document everything, and never let someone else’s insecurity define your value. Don’t dim or hide your light because of their fears . Every time I hear that song , “They smile in your face…”, I’m reminded that culture isn’t about appearances. It’s about intentions, behaviors, and the systems that enable or suppress integrity. The work of building a healthy culture is never easy but it’s always worth it.
Have you ever worked in a “smile in your face” environment? What helped you survive or escape? Let’s build better cultures together. Let me know your thoughts; I genuinely want to know, and I’m sure others do too. Feel free to comment 👍🏽, but if you’re not comfortable, reach out to me through any medium. I’d be thrilled if you could share something, anything, and let others know. 🙏🏽 Your comments help me understand your perspective and often present a completely different view on the topic. They could even inspire another blog. 😉 And you never know how your comment might benefit others. Always remember, life is meant to be lived, and you should always strive to live your best life. #lifeisforliving #liveyourbestlife #gratefulforlife #faithgreaterthanfear
See you next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., Bogotá time.