We have a brilliant software engineer who GWC's his current seat, but he acts like a toxic lone wolf and destroys team morale. We are preparing for a sale and our culture is our biggest asset. How do we make this Right Person, Right Seat call without risking our product delivery during the transition?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is the classic dilemma of a wrong-person, right-seat employee. He is technically brilliant and excels in his seat, but he does not share your core values. While it is tempting to tolerate his behavior to protect your short-term product delivery, keeping him on your team is a massive risk to your exit valuation. Smart buyers look closely at culture and employee retention, and a toxic high-performer will eventually drive your best talent out the door.

You must address this issue immediately using the People Analyzer tool. Rate him against your core values. If he consistently falls below your bar, you have a right-person issue. You must have a candid conversation with him, clearly explaining where he is falling short of your cultural expectations and giving him a specific timeframe to correct his behavior.

While you are giving him this chance, you must simultaneously mitigate your operational risk. Have your team document his proprietary processes and tribal knowledge immediately. Start cross-training other team members or look for external contractors who can step in if you have to let him go. If his behavior does not change, you must make the hard call and exit him. Keeping a toxic person on the team tells everyone else that your core values do not actually matter, which will destroy the internal trust needed to achieve a successful company sale.