High Performing Jerks: How to deal with them

We all know them and we come across them during our daily work lives. They are good is what they deliver to the organization but they are bad with their peers and subordinates. Since their performance is high, management see no problem with them and that further frustrates their team members.

This can take on a sinister look too. An example is from Uber when an employee opened up about a manager who was harassing employees. The company's HR responded that they couldn't fire the manager because he was a 'high performer'. In the end it was a PR disaster for Uber and they might have suffered more that what the high performer added.

So how do we deal with them:
For this to happen the management needs to take certain steps.

• Encourage team work over individual brilliance. Shinning within the team is fine and should be recognized but overall try to take the teams forward rather than individuals.
• Establish a culture that stands on strong values.
• Perform 360 evaluations and feedbacks. Don't just ask the immediate boss about someone, conduct interviews among peers and subordinates.
• Don't isolate the jerks as it will only ruin it further, talk to them.
• If talking doesn't help, be persistent and talk again.
• Lead by example.

Reference:
(1). https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/18/uber-travis-kalanick-scandal-pr-disaster-timeline
(2). https://carasconsulting.com/how-to-deal-with-a-high-performing-jerk/