Welcome to the Brilliance Brief. Every week, we break down leadership, mindset, and personal growth into something real and doable. Expect research-backed insights, a little storytelling, and practical ideas that actually fit into your life (even the messy parts).

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Earlier in my career, I fired my top performer. Their numbers were incredible. But their behavior was toxic.

I was terrified to do it. I worried our revenue would take a massive hit. I worried senior leadership would question my decision.

I’ll tell you what happened.

First, there’s a short video clip of Simon Sinek I like to share with leaders.

In it, he shares how Navy SEAL Team Six decides who gets in:

#1: Performance on the battlefield.
#2: Trust off the battlefield.

Performance is your skill. It’s what you can do when everyone is watching.

Trust is your character. It’s who you are when nobody’s watching.

Performance is easy to measure. You hit the target or you don’t. Trust takes a lot longer to see.

Sinek found something surprising about the best teams in the world.

They’d rather have someone who’s good at the job and easy to trust vs. someone who’s great at the job and hard to trust.

The second person causes more damage than their results are worth.

I’ve watched this play out at every company I’ve been part of.

Think about the top salesperson.

Every quarter, they crush their numbers. Leadership loves them. They’re handed big bonuses, praise on company calls, and awards at the annual conference.

From the outside, they look like a winner. But behind closed doors, it’s often a different story.

They show up late to internal meetings.
They treat support staff badly.
They cut ethical corners to get a contract signed.
They take credit when something works and find someone to blame when it doesn’t.

Working beside them feels like walking through a minefield.

Before long, good people stop speaking up. Other strong performers update their resumes and look for the exit

When this happens, leaders face a difficult test. 

Do you protect the superstar because of their numbers? Or do you protect your team and culture?

A lot of leaders pick the numbers. They tell themselves: “Well, they’re just difficult to work with, but we can’t afford to lose their revenue right now.”

What you ignore, you endorse.

The moment you let a toxic employee off the hook because they hit their goals, you’ve told your whole company what really matters.

The day after they left, people started smiling again. You could feel the relief in the hallways.

People who’d been quiet for months started talking in meetings. Two quarters later, the team’s numbers were up.

That taught me a lesson I’ll never forget:

Your top performer might be your worst employee, especially if everyone around them performs worse when they’re in the room.

#1: Measure the how, not just the what.

Most metrics only look at results. Hit the sales number. Ship the product. Close the ticket.

Start asking a second question: “How did they get there?” Did they bring people with them, or did they leave a mess behind? 

Reward people who hit their goals with integrity, kindness, and teamwork.

#2: Give feedback early.

Don’t wait for an annual review to address bad behavior.

The first time someone belittles a coworker or cuts a corner, pull them aside.

Be direct and kind: “Your work is excellent. But how you treated Sarah in that meeting doesn’t meet our standard. We only win together here.”

Correcting it early gives them a chance to change.

#3: Hold the line.

If you coach them, support them, and nothing changes, you need to remove them. 

Keeping a toxic high performer sends a clear message: Your happiness and dignity don’t matter as much as this person’s high numbers do.

Protecting the team always comes first.

Take 5 minutes and think about the people you work with.

Who gets celebrated for their numbers even though they treat people poorly?

What message is that sending to everyone else?

If you’re a leader, decide this week what you’re going to do about it.

You probably have top performers who are also great people.

Protect them by dealing with the person dragging everyone down.

If you aren’t the boss, be the teammate who brings high performance and high trust to the table.

The best teams are built from people like that.

Talk soon,
Justin

P.S. Music while you work, or total silence?

Hit “reply.” I’d love to hear your thoughts.