It is remarkable how one difficult employee can shift the tone and energy of a team. Technical skill matters, but so does one’s impact on collaboration, trust, and morale. In my experience, the hidden cost of difficult behavior is often underestimated. Would you rather work with someone highly competent but difficult, or someone that is kind and reliable, but average technical abilities?

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Highly competent but difficult. Highly competent people create solutions. Complaints are a low cost for a competent worker

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An effective manager displays the ability to not only recognize the difficult behavior, but also assess the root cause to determine if it is manageable, able to be channeled constructively, and avoid placing the employee in situations where they may not shine as brightly. I wouldn't be in a rush to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It may require a few more 'touchbases' to diffuse situations before they arise, but a person that is a high performer is usually someone who takes great pride in their work. Their level of difficulty could be related to nuerodivergent issues...bipolar, autism, etc. it takes a bit more effort from the manager to find what kind of 'lock' he is working with before the correct 'key' to effectively managing can be found.

None of this means you should ignore the behaviors since a person cannot correct that which they are unaware of. Also, in you annual evaluations, it should carry as much weight as meeting metrics and count in consideration for raises and bonuses. Examples should always be provided and you should also be able to refer to any dates or documentation when it was discussed.

But I encourage any managers to accept the challenge. Depending on the employee, you may just have a 'difficult' employee that feels dismissed and not included. Find out what ideas they have and if possible let them run with it. Remember, ultimately the better they look, the more effective your team and you are.

It's even worse when the manager is the problematic employee on the team

It can ruin everything

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