Without realizing it you may be well be focusing your vital management and human resource talents, resources and energy in the wrong direction. By simply focusing on the wrong path you may well be limiting your organizations health, wealth, profit and real growth.

We live in a culture of “democracy”. In addition we as a culture view “conflict “and “interpersonal conflict “as a bad thing. Perhaps this is not so. Perhaps we should look the glass in another manner and viewpoint.

85 % of the results of most endeavors come from 15 % of the efforts. For example in real estate usually 85 % of the sales come from only 15 % of the salespeople. Fully 85 % of employees you hire and pay are just dead weight. These are the “crowd” so to speak who the management is focusing their energy on to placate whereas management efforts and energy should be on focusing towards keeping the productive 15 % happy and fruitful.

The exceptionally productive 15 % are what is keeping the organization productive , in the black and indeed are subsidizing the others who probably are doing very little but telling tales at the water cooler of their plans of valor and pointing out who won the latest lottery.

Why single these productive employees out to reprimand them as “troublemakers” or “lone wolves” who are not part of “team'. Instead one should identify these employees to further reward them and support them in their efforts.

Identify and measure the productivity of the specific employees. Are they a major production or profit center? Is there a way to make their efforts easier and even more productive It may not be likely that promoting this person to a level of management or supervisor may make any sense or profit as they are probably at their level of greatest competence. Promoting them as a “reward” may indeed by counterproductive. Knowing their “job” well may cause them to get frustrated with others who “cannot get the job done”. Best to leave this person at their station and find ways to specifically reward them in a manner that they and not necessarily you regard as a good reward.

Perhaps all this person needs is recognition of their good efforts and attempts to elicit a discussion on the merits of their efforts and a slight redirection for better purpose.
Perhaps specific training can be of help. For example a communications improvement program such as toastmasters or a Dale Carnegie course.

If the above turns out to be of little use and are indeed hopeless perhaps it is best to recognize the “lone wolf” tendencies and inherent productivity or this valued employee. Not all people like to be “team players”. Perhaps they should be left alone to prosper you on the job. Perhaps they can be promoted or moved to a job where they are unsupervised and work alone – to the better avail of the organization.

In the end it may well be said that one bad apple may spoil the barrel. However that apple may be your best apple.