In the early 2000s, David Beckham was one of the biggest superstars in the world. He had married Victoria Adams, “Posh Spice” from the globally famous Spice Girls, and he played for arguably one of the biggest football teams in the world, Manchester United. Together, the power couple reached the zenith of fame with paparazzi surrounding them, relentless and determined, like a pack of wolves. At that time, Manchester United was flying high under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson. In 1999, the club secured a historic treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in a single season.
And so, as it was reported, the player somehow became bigger than the club.
Sir Ferguson began to have problems in the dressing room.
Then came the infamous story that echoed worldwide.
After an FA Cup loss to Arsenal in 2003, Sir Ferguson kicked a stray boot in the locker room that struck Beckham above the eye.
The manager put the player on the bench a few times.
The writing was on the wall that Beckham needed to leave Manchester United.
David Beckham, already a global icon, was being pursued by another football powerhouse, Real Madrid.
Sir Ferguson sold Beckham to Real Madrid, which at the time had the Galacticos in Ronaldo, Zidane, Louis Figo, and Roberto Carlos.
What made Sir Ferguson so successful at Manchester United was his willingness to protect the team’s culture above any one player.
Had Becharm stayed, he would have affected the dressing dynamics.
Ferguson’s message was clear: No one is bigger than the club.
Becks had to go.
Manchester United continued to thrive, winning several major trophies until Ferguson retired in 2013
Premier League – 6
League Cup – 3
Community Shield – 6
Champions League – 1
FIFA Club World Cup – 1
In leadership—whether in sports or business—there comes a moment when you must choose between a high performer who disrupts the culture and the long-term health of the team.
This dynamic often plays out in corporate America. You’ll encounter talented employees who produce excellent results but wreak havoc on team morale.
And you’ll have to ask yourself: Are we better off keeping this individual, or is it time to let them go? Can they be coached into being a collaborative, culture-aligned contributor, or are they simply a misfit?
What’s surprising is how differently sports and business approach misalignment.
In sports, underperformance or toxicity leads to explicit action—benches, trades, or cuts.
But in business, it often lingers.
Leaders hesitate.
Why?
Sometimes it’s inexperience.
New leaders often don’t know how to hold team members accountable, especially if they were never held accountable.
Other times, the relationship is personal. Maybe the employee is a friend. Maybe they hang out on weekends.
And now the leader is being asked to “hang their buddy.” More often than not, they don’t.
Even Tim Cook—Apple’s famously calm and composed CEO—had to face this challenge. In his book Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, Bestselling Author and Apple enthusiast Leander Kahney recounts stories of when Tim Cook had to make the tough decision of firing his colleagues.
In 2012, after the disastrous launch of Apple Maps, Cook made the difficult decision to fire Scott Forstall, the SVP responsible for iOS and a close confidant of Steve Jobs. After the disastrous launch and being asked to apologise by Tim Cook, Forstall refused to sign Apple’s apology letter over Maps’ failure. It wasn’t just product performance that was the issue. Forstall clashed with other executives.
Aro overund the same time, Cook also fired John Browett, the retail chief, who was seen as another of Browett’s cost-cutting decisions, like reducing staff hours, which were profitable in the short term but eroded the customer experience. Apple prided itself cultural misfit.
Reflecting on those decisions, Cook said in an interview with Fortune:
“That reminded me of the critical importance of cultural fit… If you believe that the most important data points are people, then you have to make conclusions in relatively short order. Because you want to push the people who are doing great. And you want to either develop the people who are not, or, in the worst case, they need to be somewhere else.”
That resonated deeply with me.
Several years ago, I took over a team facing exactly this dilemma. The top performers were also the ones poisoning the culture. Supervisors were socializing with their favorites. Favoritism was obvious. Morale had cratered. Trust was nonexistent. The rift between management and hourly employees had grown wide and bitter.
As a Six Sigma Black Belt, I approached the problem using the DMAIC framework—Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control—because this wasn’t a one-dimensional issue. It was a complex, systemic one.
Step 1: Define the Problem
Morale was low. Engagement was poor. Employees were disengaged and distrustful.
Step 2: Measure the Current State
I conducted Day in the Life Observations (DILOs) and one-on-ones with every team member. I didn’t offer solutions—I listened. I asked questions like:
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- How is your family?
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- How do you feel about your development?
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- Do you feel supported by your supervisor?
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- Have you ever made a suggestion? What happened?
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- What would you change if you could?
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- What kind of work energizes you?
Step 3: Analyze
After compiling their feedback, five clear themes emerged:
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- Favoritism
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- Lack of supervisor involvement in development
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- No transparent advancement process
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- Employee concerns were ignored
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- Disempowerment and lack of autonomy
Step 4: Improve
We categorized and quantified the issues, then worked through each root cause by asking: If we fix this, does the problem disappear?
Some fixes were quick wins—what we called “rapid experiments.” These didn’t require budget—just intent and action. For instance, ending favoritism didn’t need funding.
We assigned each action item a clear owner and a deadline. We displayed these items publicly to hold ourselves and our leaders accountable.
Step 5: Control
We established a recurring cadence to review progress. If something didn’t change, we didn’t pretend. We re-evaluated and adjusted. That Plan-Do-Check-Act loop became our heartbeat.
Outcome
We removed individuals who weren’t culture fits, regardless of their performance. We replaced ineffective leaders. We brought in new talent who aligned with our values.
We established transparency in policies to eliminate favoritism.
Morale, Trust, collaboration, innovation and engagement improved.
The team began to thrive.
Final Thoughts
Every serious leader will face a moment like this. A moment where you must choose between someone’s performance and the team’s health. Whether you’re managing a Premier League football club, a Fortune 500 company, or a frontline team, the principle is the same:
Culture eats talent for breakfast.
Have the courage to protect it.
Sources:
Linshi, J. (2015). This Surprising Trait Can Get You Fired at Apple. Time. https://time.com/3760114/apple-tim-cook-fired/
Apple CEO Tim Cook Explains How ‘Cultural Fit’ Can Get You Fired | TIME. https://time.com/3760114/apple-tim-cook-fired/
Kay, O., & Taylor, D. (2023). Manchester United and Real Madrid’s titanic Champions League tussle 20 years on. New York Times.
Kahney, L. (2019). Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level. Penguin.
Kubiak, B. (2018). The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, 3rd ed. Pearson.