Remove the Poison

Failure doesn’t always come from bad decisions. Sometimes it comes from good intentions held for too long.

My biggest failure as a leader wasn’t a missed forecast, a bad hire on paper, or a strategic misstep. It was this failing to see - or maybe failing to accept - that someone on my team was poisonous.

I saw talent. I saw potential. I believed that with enough coaching, context, and care, I could help reform the behavior. So I looked past the warning signs.

I rationalized moments that should’ve stopped me cold. I told myself patience was leadership. I told myself that if I put the effort - if I poured into them - that I could change them.

What I didn’t fully understand at the time was the cost. While I focused on saving one person, the team was absorbing the damage. Trust eroded. Energy drained. High performers questioned whether standards mattered.
By the time I acted, the harm was already done.

That failure changed how I lead. I still believe in coaching. I still believe people can grow. But I understand that protecting the team is the primary responsibility - not rescuing one individual at everyone else’s expense.

Some behaviors aren’t problems to solve. They’re signals to act. Failure taught me that leadership isn’t just about empathy and patience. It’s about courage - especially when action feels uncomfortable.

If you’ve made this mistake too - you’re not alone. Learn from it. The team is always watching.