One of my key leadership team members is brilliant at tactical execution but consistently displays passive-aggressive behavior during our Level 10 Meeting sessions, which is killing our team trust. How do we handle a toxic attitude in a high-performing leader?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leader who hits their numbers but exhibits passive-aggressive behavior is a cultural cancer. You cannot allow high performance in execution to excuse behavior that destroys team trust. A healthy, cohesive, and functional leadership team requires absolute vulnerability, open debate, and mutual respect.

First, address this behavior immediately in a private, one-on-one meeting. Do not wait for the next quarterly review. Use concrete examples of their passive-aggressive comments or body language during your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. Explain exactly how this behavior impacts the rest of the team and damages trust.

Second, evaluate them against your core values. In the EOS® framework, a person must match your core values and GWC™ their seat. If they are violating your core values, they are a bad cultural fit, regardless of their operational talent. Give them a clear, thirty-day timeline to correct their behavior.

If the behavior does not change, you must make the hard call to remove them from the leadership team. Keeping a toxic leader on your team sends a message to the entire company that performance matters more than culture. Protecting your team health is always more important than the tactical output of any single individual.