Key Highlights
- Disruptive behavior erodes psychological safety and team performance, even when results look strong.
- The most damaging disruption is often quiet and persistent rather than loud and obvious.
- Do not default to termination. Early coaching can redirect talent and protect culture.
- A practical three-step process works. Require ownership. Replace trigger-driven reactions. Repair relationships.
- Leaders own the environment that enables change. Employees own their behavior.
- Address issues at the first consistent signs of harm to improve the odds of a durable turnaround.
Great leaders face a recurring dilemma. A high performer delivers outcomes yet unsettles the team. The data looks good. The meetings do not. The question is simple. Can this person change? The answer is yes when you intervene early with clear standards and structured coaching.
What disruption looks like and why it matters
Disruption is not healthy dissent. It is not the colleague who challenges a plan with respect. Disruptive behavior undermines trust and silences contributions. The pattern can be overt or subtle. Belittling a peer in front of others. Dismissing ideas with sarcasm. Withdrawing on purpose during critical conversations. Eye rolls that shut people down. Over time, the effect is the same. Psychological safety drops. People stop speaking up. Innovation slows. Your best talent disengages or exits quietly.
The trap for leadership is that the disruptor often brings real value. They ship work. They spot risk. They solve problems that others avoid. That is why the situation lingers. Results buy patience, while culture pays the price.
Why coaching often beats a quick exit
Firing can feel decisive, yet it can send mixed signals. It may discourage candor and risk-taking. It can also create fear among strong performers who worry they are next. Coaching, by contrast, shows that feedback leads to growth. It conveys that both results and respect are required. Most importantly, it allows you to reclaim psychological safety while preserving hard-won capability.
The key is timing. Coaching works best before reputations harden and formal discipline begins. Early action is a leadership responsibility. Waiting narrows the path back.
A three-step process that changes behavior
Step 1. Require full ownership of the behavior
Turnarounds start with ownership. The employee must name the behavior and accept responsibility without conditions. Listen for the absence of the word but. Yes, I cut people off in meetings. Yes, I dismissed a peer’s analysis. Ownership sticks when it connects to values. Help the person see how their behavior undermines what they claim to care about: influence, credibility, and trust. When values and conduct are misaligned, motivation to change grows.
Step 2. Replace trigger-driven reactions with chosen responses
Map the moments that set the behavior in motion. Common triggers include perceived disrespect, public criticism, exclusion from decisions, or visible errors. For each trigger, co-design a specific response that advances the person’s goals and matches team norms. Ask a clarifying question before asserting a conclusion. Request a brief pause rather than escalating. Move a debate to a data check rather than a public clash. Practice until the new response becomes the default. A neutral executive coach helps in this situation by reducing power dynamics and creating a safe space for learning.
Step 3. Repair relationships through sincere one-to-one conversations
Better behavior does not automatically restore trust. People believe what they experience repeatedly. Guide the employee to hold brief conversations that acknowledge impact and invite feedback. I know I shut your idea down last quarter. That was on me. I am working on it. If you notice me slipping, please let me know. No explanations. No excuses. Leaders should support this effort by recognizing visible progress and reinforcing the expectation that everyone participates in healthy feedback.
What leaders own and what employees own
The employee owns the behavior and the work of change. Leaders own the environment that makes change possible. Set clear standards for conduct. Give timely, specific feedback. Intervene at the first signs of harm. Resource coaching when the relationship dynamics make it hard to learn inside the hierarchy. Hold both results and respect them as non-negotiable.
The business case for acting now
Unchecked disruption is expensive. Recruiting and onboarding replacements take time. The silent losses are worse. Ideas that are never voiced. Meetings where only a few speak. Colleagues who mentally check out. A structured coaching plan is an investment in culture and performance. It signals that accountability and growth coexist. It also turns a private problem into a public standard. This is how we work here.
What good looks like
You will know the turnaround is working when participation rises and meetings regain energy. You will hear more questions and fewer one-sided takedowns. Peers will volunteer that the person is easier to work with. You will see the employee catch themselves and choose a different response in real time. Some former disruptors become champions of the culture. They understand the cost of ignoring the issue. They model what it looks like to change.
An invitation
If you are managing a high performer whose behavior is hurting your team, you do not have to choose between tolerance and termination. You can act early, install structure, and rebuild trust with intention. If you would like support applying this three-step approach inside your organization, Diane offers confidential executive coaching for leaders and teams who are ready to turn disruptive energy into constructive impact.
Learn more about my work here: https://dianescottinc.com/executive-coaching/
