One of our department heads is an absolute machine when it comes to hitting their numbers and driving revenue, but they are incredibly toxic to our culture and dismissive of the rest of the leadership team. Do we keep coaching them, or is it time to let them go to protect our team health?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A highly productive but toxic department head is a cancer on your leadership team. While they may hit their individual targets, their behavior destroys the trust and psychological safety required for the rest of the team to function.

In the EOS framework, we look at this through the lens of the People Analyzer. A candidate or current leader must meet your core values and have the GWC for their seat. A brilliant jerk represents a clear core values violation.

When you tolerate a leader who behaves this way, you are sending a message to the rest of the organization that performance is more important than your values. This breeds cynicism and drives away your top talent.

To handle this, you must have a direct conversation using the People Analyzer. Give them specific examples of where they are falling short on core values and set a clear timeline for improvement. If their behavior does not change, you must let them go. The long-term health of your leadership team and company culture is far more valuable than any short-term numbers they generate.