Written by Cari Borden

Let’s talk about that one topic you swear only happens at home during the holidays: toxic family dynamics. You know the one.

Every family has:

• The golden child who does no wrong (even when they do).
• The invisible middle one who somehow gets blamed and overlooked.
• And the baby, the beloved chaos agent who brings drama and cupcakes and still gets all the praise.

Here’s the kicker: if you think this is exclusive to your family, you’ve clearly never worked in an office.

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👩‍👧 Welcome to Your Work-Family:

• Golden Child: That one top performer who breaks all the rules but gets praised for “thinking outside the box.”
• Middle Sibling: The reliable, overworked, under-celebrated MVP. Their thank-you? A new task with no raise.
• Spoiled Baby: Shows up late, forgets deadlines, but still gets promoted because “they have potential.”

Sound familiar? Oh, it should. Because the workplace is one big dysfunctional family reunion, just with fewer casseroles and more HR memos.

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💥 A Personal Message to Each of You

🌟 Golden Child:

You’re not that great.
Talent without humility is just ego with a calendar. The rules still apply to you, even if your manager pretends they don’t. Maybe lead with people, not around them?

🫥 Middle Sibling:

You are not invisible—you’re invaluable.
Stop letting your worth be dictated by how loud others are. Your silence and work ethic built the foundation others are standing on. Start speaking up, quiet strength still deserves a voice.

🧸 Spoiled Baby:

Yes, we all see it.
Your calendar is empty, your excuses are creative, and your “potential” is starting to run on credit. The wake-up call? It’s coming. Hard work has a way of catching up… and so does karma (usually during performance reviews).

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🧠 Real Talk: The Dynamic Isn’t the Problem—The Dysfunction Is

Here’s the truth bomb: these family-style dynamics aren’t inherently wrong. In fact, strong teams often feel like family.
But just like at home, it only works if there’s:

• Emotional Intelligence – knowing when your behavior impacts others.
• Transparency – no backroom favoritism or behind-the-scenes drama.
• Authentic Communication – where praise, feedback, and conflict aren’t filtered through ego.

Workplaces don’t implode because people have roles—they fall apart when those roles go unchecked, unspoken, and unchallenged.

Families survive because they work on the mess. The same goes for teams.

🎯 CTA:

If this made you laugh and think… good.
Want to move your team from dysfunctional to dynamic?
💡 Like, comment, and subscribe.
And if you’re ready to stop playing your old role and lead for real, hit me up on Fiverr for 1:1 coaching that gets it.