Rodney Johnson - Without Warning

One of the most challenging decisions business leaders face is when their superstar becomes a problem. You know the person. Maybe its a sales manager that customers love, yet employees hate. Maybe it’s a V.P. that holds tremendous knowledge, yet disrupts every meeting at the last minute. Or maybe its an executive that believes corporate ethics and values don’t apply to them.

So how do most people cope when situations like these occur? Most people simply cope by getting out of the way or they leave  the organization. The impact on the organization - can be HUGE.

Yes, most of us have worked with one or reported to one of thse bigger than life characters in our careers. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that is often avoided or neglected, which pulls it under the umbrella of being a silent problem.

A couple of weeks ago the Rolling Stones published a riveting article titled The Runaway General. A story about General Stanley McCrystal, the former head of Afghan military operations. It’s a troubling story, because it’s a “when a superstar becomes a problem” story. Its a story about how an individual rose up through the ranks, yet what brought him down was his own weaknesses. For instance the story states,

By some accounts, McChrystal’s career should have been over at least two times by now. As Pentagon spokesman during the invasion of Iraq, the general seemed more like a White House mouthpiece than an up-and-coming commander with a reputation for speaking his mind. When Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made his infamous “stuff happens” remark during the looting of Baghdad, McChrystal backed him up. A few days later, he echoed the president’s Mission Accomplished gaffe by insisting that major combat operations in Iraq were over. But it was during his next stint – overseeing the military’s most elite units, including the Rangers, Navy Seals and Delta Force – that McChrystal took part in a cover-up that would have destroyed the career of a lesser man. 

After Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former-NFL-star-turned-Ranger, was accidentally killed by his own troops in Afghanistan in April 2004, McChrystal took an active role in creating the impression that Tillman had died at the hands of Taliban fighters. He signed off on a falsified recommendation for a Silver Star that suggested Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. (McChrystal would later claim he didn’t read the recommendation closely enough – a strange excuse for a commander known for his laserlike attention to minute details.) A week later, McChrystal sent a memo up the chain of command, specifically warning that President Bush should avoid mentioning the cause of Tillman’s death. “If the circumstances of Corporal Tillman’s death become public,” he wrote, it could cause “public embarrassment” for the president.

Superstars create numerous challenges. First, they often believe they’re part of an elite group, which makes it difficult to hold them accountable. And its this status they believe provides them priveleges and unlimited “get out of jail” cards when a problem emerges. Second, they can hold the team and the organization hostage. At times, they view themselves as “untouchable.” Third and possibly most important, they can be very difficult to get rid of, because they have the connections and the knowledge that could put your organization in harms way.

So what are the lessons we should heed?

1. Be careful when putting superstars in leadership positions. Do your homework up front.
2. Realize no one is irreplaceable. Be prepared to cut the line sooner, rather than later.
3. Remember, toxic superstars add to your bottom-line, but also take away from it through higher turnover and diminished performance.

At the end of the day, every organization is in search of superstars. However at the beginning of the day, make certain they’re the right fit.