Noah's Tuesday Tidbit

February 3, 2025

Fire Your Top Talent? That's Insane! Until It's Not...

I told a client to fire his top salesperson.

Not just any salesperson—his highest-paid employee, the guy he spent six months searching for and relied on to bring in big deals.

The CEO stared at me like I had lost my mind.

I had spent two weeks inside his company, talking to employees, listening to frustrations, and watching the dynamics. Something felt off.
​
Then, I sat down with the superstar himself.

He was smug. Confident. Arms crossed. The kind of guy who had seen it all before.

“What are you going to teach me? We've had guys like you in here before!” he asked, smirking.

It was clear—he didn’t respect his team, his Sales Manager, his customers, me, or my client. He wasn’t just winning, he was winning at their expense.

I walked into the CEO’s office and said: “You need to let him go.”

This CEO, who had paid me a lot of money to assess his business, was stunned.

“Noah… are you sure? He's the best we've got!” he asked, almost pleading for another answer.

I was.

Reluctantly, he did it.

And everything changed.

On paper, this guy was a rainmaker—he closed big deals, and his numbers made him untouchable.

But beneath the surface, he was toxic.

• He thrived by undermining teammates.

• He hoarded information to make himself indispensable.

• He prioritized commissions over long-term customer relationships.

• He was a bully—and it often worked. He was great at getting the first sale, but terrible at securing the second, third, or fourth.

The company was winning in the short term, but rotting from the inside out.

His departure was like a weight lifted off the entire organization.

Morale shot up.

Other salespeople, once in his shadow, stepped up and excelled. Collaboration across departments improved overnight.

And customers? They became more loyal, not less.

The company didn’t just survive without him—they grew. Because they weren’t reliant on one ‘superstar’ dragging everyone else down.

Too many CEOs protect their “best” people without asking: At what cost?

What’s the hidden price of their success?Are they making others better or worse?If you had to start fresh, would you hire them again?

When I pushed the CEO to fire this guy, I wasn’t looking at his numbers—I was looking at the company’s health.

And deep down, the CEO knew it was the right decision.

He just needed someone to give him the push.

Your Challenge For This Week: Audit Your A-Players

This week, take a hard look at your so-called “best” employees. Ask yourself:

If you had to build your company from scratch, would you hire them again?

Do they teach, mentor, and elevate those around them—or do they hoard, undermine, and isolate?

If they resigned today, would you feel relief or panic? Be honest.

If you’ve got someone who’s winning at the expense of the company, be courageous enough to act.

Because when the wrong person is winning, your company is losing.

Best,
Noah

P.S. This is the kind of tough decision that separates good leaders from great ones. If this resonated, hit reply and tell me—have you ever had to make a decision like this?

What happened next? I’d love to hear your story!