A key reason why so many individuals are toxic is because, put simply, they have no boundaries.  They feel they have nothing to lose by making your life as miserable as they possibly can -- often because their lives are that way. They have little regard for your feelings, perspectives, and opinions, as they deem theirs far superior. If you object to their assertions, prepare to be scorned. Toxic people loathe dissent.  They are often narcissists masquerading as good, humble folks -- that is, until their chameleon tendencies come to light and you realize they have no one's best interests at heart but their own. It's no wonder so many of these mercurial individuals find themselves in top positions in the corporate world. They schmooze their way to the top, and once there, dispense misery upon unsuspecting worker bees, hastening those employees' eventual resignations. Their toxic tendencies extend to their personal relationships as well. Three or more marriages are typical. Th...

Studies have shown that people are capable of generating more creative ideas when they work alone as opposed to collaborating with group members. The reasons for this are simple and varied. When working in a group, there's a tendency for things to get political. People have vastly different ideas and suggestions, and not everyone is schooled in the art of compromise. Thus, it's not uncommon for group members to clash over what they think is the optimal solution to a problem -- theirs. Yet another stumbling block to creativity is what we call groupthink. It's when people feel pressure to agree with the "majority opinion" of the group -- even though they may disagree -- so as not to look like the lone dissenter. Thirdly, I have found that it takes longer to get stuff done when there are others involved. It may sound counterintuitive since there are more people involved to shoulder the work, but oftentimes group members get distracted and sidetracked, ultimatel...