High-Performing Problems: How To Address Toxic Top Talent on Your Team

One of the most challenging problems for any leader is to figure out how to handle the bad apple that produces great results.

Maybe they're in sales, or procurement, or running a factory—and it's insanely hard to find someone with their expertise. No matter what they do, the story is the same: Their results are great; you can't live without them; their experience would be impossible to replace.

But …

The rules don’t apply to them. They’re cranky. They complain. Loudly. They show up late and leave early. They are borderline harassing other team members and are a little too loose with the company credit card.

And the rest of your team has to put up with their missed deadlines, ignored emails, and snarky comments.

When High-Performance Isn't Enough

This person is not just a high performer. They are a High-Performing Problem.

High-Performing Problems are great and awful at the same time. And for most leaders, because there’s so much good in the bad, it often seems easier to put up with the High-Performing Problem than to deal with them.

When an employee’s behavior is illegal, immoral, or unethical, the solution is obvious. But with High-Performing Problems, nothing is ever obvious, or simple, or easy.

You need their results. But can you live with their dark side?

3 Questions to Ask Yourself About High-Performing Problems

Whenever I meet a leader who is struggling with this problem, I ask them to think about the following three things. Each one will help you weigh the results you can see against the damage you might not even be looking for:

1. What About Your Good Employees?

The gut punch for most leaders comes when you start thinking about all the good people who have to work with your Problem.

“Bad apple effect” studies, particularly the 2006 University of Washington study led by Will Felps, show that a single negative team member can have a dramatic, and negative effect on team performance and morale, in some cases reducing productivity by 30-40%.

When Problems are lazy, annoying, distracting or critical, they make it harder for good people to do their work.

Ask yourself, “Is it fair to have two sets of rules? Is it reasonable to expect your good people to put up with your bad ones? Work around them? Make up for them? Watch them get pass after pass and never truly be held accountable?”

Perhaps more importantly, consider that bad apples are generally on their best behavior in front of the boss. Which means their behaviors are more extreme, more entitled, and uglier when you’re not around.

2. Look More Closely

While you are focused on the results you can see, your High-Performing Problem is almost certainly doing damage you cannot see.

One of my clients exited a problem employee, who for years they felt was irreplaceable. Once the bad apple was gone, the client realized they hadn't really understood how that person was producing results. As it turned out, they were cutting corners with clients and pressuring junior-level employees to deliver work in a way that didn’t align with how the firm wanted to conduct business.

Do you know how your High-Performing Problem talks about you and your company when you’re not there? Do you know—not just assume—that they’re doing their work in the right way? Have you taken the time to understand how they produce results?

You may not be getting the “wins” you think you are.

3. You Can’t Find Good People You Aren’t Looking For

One of the biggest reasons you talk yourself out of letting go of High-Performing Problems is because it seems so hard to replace them.

Hiring can be difficult and time consuming. It’s also true that it should be hard to let people go. 
Replacing someone is not easy or fast, even when it’s the right call.

As you weigh the need to replace someone, there is one magic question you want to ask yourself:

“If I had someone who matched our values and produced great results—someone that was less of a headache for me and the team—would I be excited to make that change?”

If the answer is yes, odds are good it’s time to make a move.

The world is a big place, and there are always very talented people looking for good jobs. My experience is that when you let go of a bad apple, it typically takes less time and effort to replace them than you might imagine.

It might be “easier” in some ways to keep your High-Performing Problem in place. But in the long run, you’re just postponing the decision and the work.

Plus, you’re missing out on the chance to have someone really great in that role.

The Cost of Inaction Is Higher Than You Think

None of this is easy.

You have so much other work to do. The High-Performing Problem might have been with you a long time. Maybe they used to be a great employee. It can be easy to ignore the issues and just hope things will get better.

Whether you keep them or fire them, the worst mistake you can make is to ignore a High-Performing Problem.

Even if you make exceptions for them, they need to know there are lines even they cannot cross. And you need to know what those lines are for yourself.

When it comes to High-Performing Problems, it's useful to remember the Blockbuster Rule. The old movie rental chain was a wildly successful business for a very long time. They took a look at the future, at technology, at streaming—and decided to ignore it all. One day, a great solution in the form of a young Netflix delivered itself to their offices, looking to be acquired. Blockbuster passed.

Today, Netflix is worth around US$406 billion while Blockbuster is a faint memory.

The Blockbuster Rule is, “When you ignore problems, you’re also ignoring solutions. So don’t ignore problems.”

Smart leaders don’t ignore problems. Remember that if you have a High-Performing Problem, you also have a great opportunity.

Your job is to be brave and make the hard call.

Contributed by Alecia Huck, the founder of MAVERICK & Company, a consulting firm that helps leadership teams of fast-growing companies fix what’s broken without going corporate.