Most leaders face this dilemma at some point in time: they have a star performer who’s smashing goals, and on paper they’re clear keepers. But in person they’re disruptive or entitled…or maybe even a jerk.

To keep or not to keep?

Is it better to retain, and work with these disruptive star-performers – or are we and our companies better served wishing them well and letting them go? The answer to this may not be as simple as you’d think. Companies need to make money to survive and grow, so keeping the rainmakers may mean they sometimes have to overlook a little bad behavior. It can often boil down to what a company or manager is willing to accept and how far they’ll let certain behaviors go.

It depends…

Marc Prosser, Co-Founder at Fit Small Business asks himself this question when faced with this dilemma: “Should the rules be rewritten to accommodate one person?” To Prosser, the answer “really depends on the situation.”

Prosser’s biggest concern is ensuring that accommodating one individual won’t affect his company’s ability to manage others. He continues, “We don’t want to create a double standard that will cause animosity. We also don’t want to accommodate a jerk, which is different from star performer.”

Ultimately, your employee may be a star performer with a few bad behaviors, and you may be okay with that. But if they get to a point where they are a liability – legally or otherwise – it may be time to reevaluate the need for them.

Let them go…
Sometimes, even after you run the numbers, it’s more valuable to your team and your company as a whole to let high achievers with bad attitudes go. For Ian Wright, founder of British Business Energy, an energy comparison service, “it’s often best to let star performers go rather than bending over backwards to accommodate them.” From Wright’s experience, letting his star go ended up improving the morale of remaining employees and, in turn, they began performing better and bringing in more business. It was a win-win for Wright. He was able to keep bringing in a lot of sales while also retaining an effective and happier sales team.

But I don’t want to say good-bye
Max Robinson of Aims Glasgow Media has found a way to have his star performer but keep peace in the office, too. “Rather than forcing them to stick to our rules, I’ll generally deal with them on a freelance basis.” Robinson provides the ‘talented-but-hard-to-work-with’ stars with a company phone and allows them to work remotely. This is a viable option if your company is open to working with a team member on a freelance or contract basis.

Sometimes the benefit of a star performer’s skills far outweigh the hassle of putting up with them. And sometimes bad behaviors are non-negotiable. As a manager, only you can decide how much you’ll put up with and how much bad behavior is acceptable within the policies of the company.

Need to find your next Superstar – who doesn’t behave badly? Murray Resources can help. As one of Houston’s top staffing agencies, we can connect you with the best talent in the market. Contact us today to get started or learn more.