I have a leadership team member who meets all performance goals but treats their subordinates poorly. The rest of the team wants to tolerate it because of the numbers. How do I align the leadership team to make the hard choice on a cultural mismatch?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Tolerating a high performer who violates your Core Values is the fastest way to kill your company culture. It shows your entire organization that your stated values are just hollow slogans on a wall. Your leadership team must understand that cultural alignment is a non-negotiable standard of employment, especially at the executive level.

To resolve this alignment issue, bring the team together and use the People Analyzer tool. Rate the leader in question against each of your Core Values. If they do not consistently hit the bar, they have a values deficit. This is a "right seat, wrong person" scenario.

Remind your leadership team of the long-term cost of keeping a cultural misfit. While they may hit their department numbers today, they are driving away your best talent, creating massive operational risk, and building a toxic work environment. The numbers they produce are a short-term band-aid on a long-term hemorrhage.

Make a collective decision. If the leader does not fit your Core Values, they must be given a clear, measurable timeline to correct their behavior. If they cannot or will not change, they must be terminated.

As the owner, you must lead this charge. If your other executives are hesitant, ask them: What is the price of our integrity? If we do not protect our culture at the leadership table, we have no right to expect our managers to protect it in the ranks. Make the hard call and clean up your table.