What You Allow, Will Continue: How Management Creates High-Performing Toxic Employees

One of the most common — and damaging — myths in the workplace is that high-performing toxic employees are just “difficult people.” That they’re inherently hard to work with. That it’s a personality issue, and there’s nothing anyone can really do.

But that’s not the truth.

The number one cause of high-performing toxic employees?
Management.

Not “bad” management, necessarily — just unprepared management.

Most Managers Weren’t Trained for This

Let’s be honest: most managers didn’t choose management because they loved leading people.
They were promoted because they were good at their last job. And suddenly, they were responsible for performance, culture, behavior, and feedback — with little to no training in any of it.

That’s not their fault. But it is a problem.

Because here’s the thing:

Inaction is the worst kind of action.

A wise woman once told me something that stuck with me to this day:
“What you allow will continue.”

And when it comes to high-performing toxic employees, that couldn’t be more true.

Toxic Behavior Isn’t Born — It’s Grown

Nobody grows up aspiring to become a high-performing toxic employee.
And in most cases, they don’t even know that they are one.

They’ve been rewarded for results. Promoted for outcomes. Given more freedom, more influence, and more responsibility — all while their behavioral red flags were ignored or brushed aside.

Why?
Because leadership was scared to rock the boat.
Because management didn’t know how to have the hard conversations.
Because the company didn’t have the tools to address brilliance that came with baggage.

So what happened?

Nothing.
And when nothing is done — it sends a message:

“This behavior is fine.”
“This is how top performers act.”
“There are no consequences.”

And what you allow… continues.

High Performers Speak a Different Language

The people who are truly great at what they do often think differently. They move faster. They see around corners. And they tend to reject one-size-fits-all systems — because most systems are designed for average employees.

And that’s the key insight here:

High performers don’t need standard management.
They need tailored management — and more importantly, they need clear, high-context communication.

Almost every problem in the workplace is a communication problem.
And every problem that persists is usually a communication failure.

Telling a high performer that their behavior is “causing tension” or “disrupting team dynamics” in vague HR-speak won’t land. You need to speak their language. You need to build trust. You need to give feedback in a way they’ll understand — and respect.

That’s not something most managers are taught how to do.
But it’s something all leaders must learn.

The Bottom Line

High-performing toxic employees don’t happen in a vacuum. They happen in environments where:

• Behavior goes unaddressed

• Expectations go unspoken

• Leadership is afraid to confront performance with accountability

• And managers aren’t equipped to manage people who don’t play by the usual rules

If you want to change the outcome, you have to change the environment.

You have to stop letting things slide.
You have to speak up — clearly, consistently, and early.
Because what you allow will always, always continue.

And the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to course-correct.

So if you’ve got a high-performing employee who’s starting to show signs of toxicity — don’t wait.
Don’t hope it goes away.
Don’t assume they know better.

Start the conversation.
Start managing them differently.
Start now.