We've all been on a team with this teammate: He or she is crushing it. They are a rockstar performer.  They are hitting all their targets, smashing their KPIs, and generally making everyone else look like they're moving at a snail's pace. They might be a sales person who is bringing in the highest numbers month after month. They might be a student pastor where the student ministry is blowing up, far out-pacing the growth of the church. Perhaps they are a staff member who is really popular because they are winning at their job. They are extremely gifted. And their high performance is undeniable.

But there's a catch. They do not play well in the sandbox with others. They consider themselves the exception to...well, everything. They know no one is going to call them on it if they don't turn in their receipts, or follow all the staff guidelines, or show up for the "required" staff events. No one will care because they are crushing it. They are a top performer. And performers gain an audience. 

"They can't do this without me." 

"I'm untouchable." 

I've seen this person on staff at businesses, churches, non-profits and other organizations. And typically they are absolutely right -- they are untouchable. They are building their own silo that contains different values and behavior expectations. Senior leaders typically look the other way -- not realizing the significant damage that is being done. Many times they even elevate and celebrate this person based on their performance, not realizing the unintended message they are sending about what really matters (performance) and what doesn't (culture, values, behaviors). 

Yet the staff who are closest to this silo leader see the damage that is being caused. They know about the lapses in the persons' integrity. They have a front row seat to the chaos this out-of-control leader is causing. 

This person gets to build their own walled-off kingdom for years because there is a real (and maybe valid) fear for what happens if they are gone. In the church context we believe "we will lose so many people" if we take corrective action. 

When we elevate performance over cultural values -- we undermine our very mission.

Culture is not just one aspect of the game, it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.

- Lou Gerstner

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying performance doesn't matter. Far from it! What I'm saying is, if you've got a superstar that's making life miserable for everyone else, you're going to have a problem on your hands. And it is eating away at the very soul of your organization. One negative employee can disrupt an entire team, leading to a 30-40% decrease in team performance.

Allowing this behavior to go unchecked is killing your organization from the inside out. There are four things you need to know:

You are losing your best people. They won't tell you why they are leaving because they are too nice. But they have watched and waited and they have realized you are not going to make the difficult decision to address the culture problem in front of you. Many years ago I left an organization where I had served for nearly a decade because the senior leader would not make the difficult decison to fire a toxic leader. Your smartest, highest-capacity leaders are watching.

You are losing respect as a leader. In fact, some will conclude you are clueless about the gravity of the problem, or you lack the spine to make a difficult decision. Letting this staff person go unchecked is chipping away at the trust and confidence that has taken you years to build.

You are showing the rest of your staff the type of behavior that is acceptable. "As long as you perform, you don't have to be a team player. As long as your numbers are good, you can have a crappy attitude. Performance trumps everything. As long as you are a high performer, you can do whatever you want." It isn't what is taught -- it is what is caught. And your lack of action is contagious.

You are letting a toxic staff person set the agenda. Information flows downhill. If you are the leader, you are the last to know everything. So whatever the level of toxicity you sense has surfaced -- it's probably three times worse. However big the problem you believe this person is creating, it's much bigger. This high-performing, low-culture leader is likely saying things about you and your leadership to anyone who will listen. They are super smart, so it's not overt, but they often are building a coalition around their ideas and vision and focus. 

What is the solution? You need to have some very serious conversations. The rockstar performer needs to know...in order to stay on the team, it's not just about performace. They have to be a team player. They have to live out the values. They need to know they are not untouchable. Tell them exactly what you need to see for them to continue to work at the organization. Describe the behaviors that cannot continue. Give them a fixed period of time (30-days? 60-days?) to cease the behaviors that are contrary to your values.

And what might happen? They might leave. You might lose some ground for a season in the area they lead. You might have some people criticize you for driving away one of your top performers.

But you know what else might happen? You might regain the respect of your team. You might save some top talent who couldn't stay if you let toxicity and negativity persist. You might be able to build an organization that is stronger than the sum of its parts. You might reinforce your values which will draw great people to your team.

Many times these things are hard to diagnose without some objective trained eyes. I've helped many teams root out the toxic behavior in their organization through anonymous culture surveys, setting up interviews where people actually tell me the truth, and working with the senior team to establish values and behaviors. If I can come alongside you or your team to diagnose culture or structure, let's set up a time to talk.