“He’s doing the job. In fact, he is meeting every performance goal we have for him. But….” It’s what comes after the “But” that can drive leaders crazy and cause sleepless nights.

Unfortunately, many leaders will put up with what comes after the “But” because the performance metrics are being met. It is a tough call for a leader to fire a high performer. It takes conviction and courage to make this decision. But, it is necessary.

Who cares if he’s good?

It is easy to know what to do with a low performing team member. If someone is not meeting the measurable performance expectations of the leader, most leaders recognize it is time for a change.

Too many leaders will avoid making the same decision about a high performer who demonstrates negative behaviors which hurt the team or the larger organization. Why?

Three Reasons Leaders Don’t Make The Tough Call

1.  Lack Of Commitment to Values

This occurs when the leader has not clearly defined, communicated and reinforced what the team’s values are. Many teams and larger organizations claim to have certain values. But, when the leader does not consistently reinforce the values the leader claims, it is very hard to hold anyone accountable to them.

When this happens, individuals and teams become overly pragmatic. The ends will begin to justify the means. In this environment individuals begin to cut corners, politics take over, and unwanted behaviors emerge.  This is the leader’s fault.

2.  The Leader’s Performance

Most leaders have their own performance metrics that rely on the cumulative performance of the individual team members. This creates a disincentive for eliminating a high performer who is also a “bad apple”. The leader may be tempted to ignore behavior that hurts the team, because it could hurt the leader’s bottom line.

The old saying “one bad apple spoils the bushel” is a dangerous place for a leader to lead. That one person creates an environment where teammates begin to distrust each other and distrust the leader.  This environment is the leader’s fault.

“If the leader let’s this behavior happen, that must be what I have to do to get ahead in this organization.”

3.  Fear or Inconvenience

Perhaps the hardest employee to fire is the high performer. The tangible metrics are easy for the employee to argue. “Hey, I am doing better than she is! I brought in our biggest clients last year.”

Some leaders lack the courage to confront a high performer and their detrimental behaviors. Some leaders see the amount of time and coaching it will take and decide the hassle is not worth it as long as the employee hits his goals.  Again, this is the leader’s responsibility and the leader’s fault.

Three Keys To Making The Tough Call

1.  Reinforcing Values

Most of the problems high performers create relate to character issues. The leader can address these issues by reinforcing the core values of the organization. Integrity, Leadership, Teamwork, Respect for Others etc. must be set up as expectations that are as important as the individual performance metrics.

When the leader defines, communicates and reinforces the core values on a consistent basis, no one can claim that they are not important.  Therefore, the leader can hold people accountable for those behaviors.

When the leader makes it clear that the means by which a goal is accomplished is as important as the accomplishment of that goal itself, the leader has the leverage to take action when an employee cuts corners, plays politics or exhibits other unwanted behaviors.

2.  The Team Comes Before The Leader

As a leader, if I put my own interests above the interests of those I lead, I have a character issue. Allowing a “bad apple” to destroy my team so I look good in the short run is a selfish act.

I must realize that removing the high performer may hurt in the short run, but will improve my team and it’s performance in the long run. There are plenty of qualified people who want to be part of healthy team.

I do not need to hold onto someone who is refusing to change because I “need” them. No single individual is that important.

3.  Courage and Conviction

The fear of employee retaliation and inconvenient corporate policies are poor reasons for not acting. I must have the courage and the conviction to confront the issue at hand.

When I confront the individual employee, I must stick to the facts about their behavior. I must continue to coach them until they prove they are unwilling to change. Once they have proven unwilling, I must have the courage and conviction to take action.

Failure To Respond To Coaching

I have fired high performers for not living up to the core values of the team and/or the higher organization. In the end, they were fired for not responding to the repeated coaching of their leadership.

I was able to document and prove that they were given the opportunity to change their behaviors, but they failed to respond to those opportunities. Here is a blog that discusses more about the process of documentation that I am suggesting:

7 Documentation Tips Learned the Hard Way

When an employee does not respond to the repeated coaching of the leader and that coaching is documented, that is usually enough to follow through on ending their employment.

The Bottom Line:

A high performer can ruin a team as quickly as a low performer can. The leader is responsible for acting in the best interest of the team and eliminating the “bad apple”.

It’s truly is not a question of if a high performer SHOULD be fired. The question is WILL the leader after reinforcing the values and behavioral expectations, put himself second and have the courage to do what is right for the team.

Question:

How can a high performer hurt a team if they are allowed to continue their poor behavior?