When to Fire a Top Performer Who Hurts Your Company Culture.

This is an all too familiar story. A new executive is hired. He immediately delivers results. But he is doing so in a manner that is inconsistent. He is "winning at any cost." Perhaps, it’s time to fire him. In simple terms, he is a vampire, quite unlike the stars.

Stars are the employees we all love — the ones who "do the right thing" (i.e. perform well) the "right way" (i.e. in a manner that supports and builds the desired organizational culture).

High potentials are those whose behavior we value — who do things the right way but whose skills need further maturation or enhancement. With training, time, and support, these people are your future stars.

Zombies fail on both counts. Their behavior doesn't align with the cultural aspirations of the organization and their performance is mediocre. They are the proverbial dead wood. But their ability to inflict harm is mitigated by their lack of credibility. They don't add much, but the cultural damage they do is limited (and, naturally, these are the employees most of us try to "flush out" of our organizations).

Vampires are the real threat. These employees perform well but in a manner that is at cross-purposes with desired organizational culture. Because their functional performance is strong, they acquire power and influence. Over time, they also acquire followers: the zombies who are who share their different set of values and aspire to better performance. Soon, there's a small army of vampires and zombies attacking the stars, high potentials and leaders who are doing the right thing.

A vampire, regardless of his functional performance, has to be terminated.

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