Our head of technology consistently hits every technical Rock and Scorecard metric, but their abrasive communication style causes high turnover among engineers and forces other executives to dread dealing with them. How do we handle a high-performing executive who fails our Core Values?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You are describing the classic Right Seat, Wrong Person dilemma, and at the leadership level, it is lethal. An executive who hits their metrics while violating Core Values does far more damage to enterprise value than an average performer who embodies your culture. Retaining them tells your company that revenue, software, or technical skills supersede your cultural standards.

First, stop tolerating the behavior because of their technical brilliance. When engineers quit and executive peers dread collaboration, that individual is levying an invisible tax across your entire company. In EOS, cracks at the leadership level appear as canyons to the rest of the organization. If the leadership team accepts toxic behavior, mid-level managers will replicate it across every department.

Second, use the People Analyzer to confront the reality with absolute clarity. Schedule an honest, direct conversation. Lay out specific behavioral examples where their conduct breached your Core Values, such as Open and Honest Communication or Help First. Show them that while their GWC for the seat is undeniable, their cultural fit is failing. Do not sugarcoat it: explain that hitting numbers while leaving bodies in their wake is unacceptable performance.

Third, establish a thirty-day strike line. Give them clear, behavioral criteria that must change immediately, and measure their progress candidly. Some brilliant technicians simply lack awareness and will course-correct when confronted with hard boundaries. Most will not, because their arrogance is tied to their technical indispensability. If they cannot or will not change their behavior within thirty days, remove them. Your turnover will drop, leadership friction will vanish, and you will protect the integrity of your culture.