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Leading Greats #152
Every leader eventually faces it. A high performer who delivers results and leaves bruises behind:
Ronnie Kinsey, MBA
February 17, 2026
Welcome to Leading Greats, my Tuesday weekly newsletter.
Here I offer actionable leadership, business, and personal development insights and tools from my decades of experience as a learner, leader, and high-performance coach.
It’s been a priceless accumulation. I am pleased to share this with you.
Brilliance without character
corrodes teams.
The “brilliant jerk” rarely lacks competence.
They lack restraint, perspective, and regard for impact.
Left unchecked, their output blinds you.
Meanwhile, trust erodes in rooms you do not sit in.
Behavioral feedback is where real leadership earns its keep.
Not in annual reviews. In live moments that shape culture.
Start with specificity.
Describe the behavior, not the personality.
“In yesterday’s meeting, you cut three people off before they finished.”
That lands cleaner than labeling someone difficult.
Tie behavior to consequence.
“When ideas get dismissed publicly, contribution drops.”
Now the conversation moves from ego to outcomes.
From identity to impact.
Brilliant people often value excellence.
Invite them to expand their definition of it.
Excellence includes how others perform around you.
If your presence shrinks the room, results will plateau.
Avoid public correction unless harm was public.
Respect builds credibility in tense exchanges.
Private feedback delivered with composure carries weight.
It shows you can separate talent from conduct.
Set non-negotiables early.
High standards must include behavior.
If you tolerate sharp edges in the name of output,
others will question what truly earns advancement.
Brilliant jerks test leaders.
They also reveal leaders.
Do you protect short-term metrics,
or long-term cohesion?
Top performers watch closely.
They decide whether effort feels safe here.
Feedback works best when it includes belief.
“I value what you bring. I also expect you to elevate the team.”
That combination is firm and future-focused.
It calls someone upward without tearing them down.
Some will adjust.
Some will resist.
Your role is not to win popularity.
It is to create conditions where strong people can thrive together.
When behavioral feedback is consistent,
culture stops relying on personality tolerance.
Standards become visible.
Respect becomes operational.
And the truly brilliant rise further,
supported by people who want them there.
Your challenge this week:
Identify one high performer whose behavior needs calibration.
Schedule the conversation.
Name the behavior clearly.
Protect the team.
Protect the standard.
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