Toxic leadership refers to a process in which leaders create a lasting negative impact at different levels, from individuals to organizations, due to their damaging behaviors and inadequate personal characteristics. This leadership approach creates a toxic environment characterized by fear, mistrust, and dysfunction. The effects of toxic leadership go beyond the individual level and have serious organizational consequences, such as weakened organizational commitment, decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism, and loss of qualified workforce. The Enron scandal, the Volkswagen emissions crisis, the Theranos case, and various Ponzi schemes are striking examples of the effects of toxic leadership. There are various precautionary mechanisms that individuals and organizations can take to combat toxic leadership. Transparency, accountability mechanisms for managers, strong organizational culture, strategic human resources policies, and informing employees and managers about toxic leadership play a critical role in effectively combating toxic leadership. Although toxic leadership studies have been conducted in education, health, and various business sectors, there are gaps in the literature on the subject. In the future, it is expected that toxic leadership studies should be further investigated by researchers, and it is also expected to contribute to creating a healthier and more sustainable work environment by making comparisons with positive leadership models.