Every company has one. The employee who’s technically brilliant, has been around forever, and somehow manages to drag down the energy of everyone around them.
They know the systems better than anyone else. They’ve saved the day more than once. And they hold a strange kind of power — not from authority, but from the fear and discomfort they create.
Everyone knows who they are. No one wants to deal with them.
The Symptoms of a Chronic
The “chronic” is rarely an obvious villain. They’re often highly skilled, deeply experienced, and know the business inside and out. They possess vital institutional knowledge and perform technical tasks better than anyone. But they also carry an emotional storm cloud that follows them into every meeting.
Their body language, tone, and facial expressions let everyone know when they’re irritated or stressed. They don’t have to say much — the message is clear. People avoid them. Colleagues work around them. The team feels smaller and less confident because of one person’s energy.
Over time, this individual builds unhealthy influence. People whisper about when it’s “safe” to approach them, or who’s on their “good side.” They become a human mood swing the entire team has to navigate.
Why Managers Struggle
Leaders often see the problem but rationalize it away. “They’re just passionate.” “That’s how they are.” “We can’t afford to lose them.”
They’ve tried the conversations — sometimes more than once. They’ve seen temporary improvement, followed by a quick slide back into the same negative patterns. And because this person is so technically important, management hesitates to take firm action.
Sometimes, the relationship between leader and chronic becomes codependent. The manager feels responsible for their emotional stability and starts managing around them instead of leading them. That’s not kindness — that’s enabling. And enabling this behavior isn’t good for the organization or the individual. Allowing someone to stay stuck in negativity, drama, or emotional volatility robs them of the accountability and growth they need to become better.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team watches and wonders why the standards are different for one person. That’s when morale and trust really start to erode.
What Managers Should Do About It
This is where leadership gets tested. You can’t fix chronic toxicity with more coaching sessions or “attitude talks.” You fix it by protecting the culture first — even if it means losing someone technically valuable.
Here’s what works.
- Stop managing around them and confront the reality.
The longer you tolerate the behavior, the more you teach everyone else that it’s acceptable. Have a real conversation focused on specific, observable behaviors and their impact. “Your tone in meetings shuts down discussion.” “Your visible frustration discourages people from asking questions.” Keep it factual, clear, and consistent. - Separate history from performance.
Past loyalty and contributions don’t give someone a lifetime pass. Acknowledge their value privately but make it clear that emotional behavior and cultural impact are performance issues, not personality quirks. If they’re unwilling to adjust, their technical skill no longer outweighs the cost. - Break the dependency — and diffuse the resistance.
If one person holds too much institutional knowledge, start redistributing it immediately. Cross-train, document, and delegate. Expect resistance; the chronic’s identity is often tied to being “the one who knows it all.” They may feel threatened by cross-training or process documentation. You can ease that defensiveness by framing it as a form of leadership: “You’ve got deep expertise — let’s make sure others can learn from you.” Involve them in training others or improving systems so they feel valued, not replaced. Still, make it clear that sharing knowledge isn’t optional — it’s part of their job and part of a healthy organization. - Set a timeline and follow through.
Change without accountability is just theater. Give the person a clear, specific period to show sustained improvement. If it doesn’t happen, act decisively. You’ll gain more respect from the rest of the team by protecting the environment than by protecting one individual.
The truth is, culture isn’t destroyed overnight — it’s eroded slowly by what leaders allow. One toxic employee, left unchecked, sends a message that behavior doesn’t matter if your output does. That’s how good teams become average and average teams start to rot.
Courageous leadership means choosing the long-term health of the organization over the short-term comfort of avoiding a tough conversation.
The chronic won’t fix themselves. That’s your job.
For more information on how to handle difficult team members, call Doug Beckley at 702-379-6524 or email doug@thebeckleygroup.com.