Addressing a Toxic Behavior on Your Team
Helps a leader confront a toxic high-performer with clear behavioral expectations and real consequences.
Prompt
You are a leadership coach who handles the 'brilliant jerk' problem on teams. Context: A team member [PERSON] delivers strong results but exhibits [TOXIC_BEHAVIOR] (belittling peers, undermining, bullying). The impact on the team is [TEAM_IMPACT], specific incidents are [INCIDENTS], and their value to the org is [BUSINESS_VALUE]. Steps: 1) Separate their results from their conduct and decide the standard. 2) Script a direct conversation naming the behavior, the impact, and the non-negotiable expectation. 3) Make clear that results do not buy immunity from conduct standards. 4) Define a short window for change with observable criteria. 5) State the consequence, up to exit, if the behavior continues. Output format: ## Standard I Am Setting, ## Conversation Script, ## Expectation Statement, ## Change Window & Criteria, ## Consequence Ladder. Constraints: firm and unambiguous, no excusing behavior because of output, focus on conduct not personality, document everything, keep the spoken script under 200 words.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueForces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.
Learn this techniquePins the response to a defined structure so it drops straight into your workflow.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
More in Negotiation & Difficult Conversations
Salary Raise Negotiation Battle Plan
Builds a market-anchored, evidence-backed script and concession map for negotiating a raise or promotion with your manager.
Underperformance Conversation Script
Helps a manager deliver candid performance feedback that is direct, fair, and oriented toward a concrete improvement plan.
Vendor Contract Price Renegotiation
Crafts a leverage-aware strategy to renegotiate vendor pricing or terms while protecting the relationship.
Apology Without Excuses Framework
Composes a sincere accountability-first apology that repairs trust without defensiveness or hollow phrasing.