What should i do about a key employee who undermines the team?

[StevenH]

I’m struggling with how to handle a key employee who is technically brilliant but constantly undermines other team leads in meetings. Their expertise is vital, but the collateral damage to team cohesion is becoming a real problem. I’m unsure if I should address the behavior directly, which might make them defensive, or try to restructure project communications around them.

[PenelopeNW]

We had a team of a similar profile; the brainpower made meetings feel like a contest. I pulled him aside for a private chat, focused on impact and listening, not blame. He nodded, but in the next sprint he was back at it in public. We did notice some teams dialing down their input after that.

[Emily92]

We tried changing how meetings run, appointing a dedicated facilitator who called out silences and asked the quieter leads for input first. It did slow down decisions and some folks complained about process overhead, but conversations got more balanced for a couple of weeks.

[Stella.T]

Maybe the issue isn't the undermining so much as the vibe of the room in those meetings. If one person dominates, others stop trying, and the cadence gets wonky. I even started paying attention to the coffee breaks and how people talk before the meeting, just to see who spoke last. I kept thinking we should protect the space for less confident voices.

[MiaW]

Could the real problem be the way we structure updates and decisions, not the person’s attitude? I keep wondering if we’re chasing the wrong fix.