We have a programmer who’s does high quality work. Problem is that his personality is a very poor fit for our department. We’re a small IT organization – only 4 people (hiring 3 more this year) and he stands out like a sore thumb with his personality and dress style (paid shirt and red tie). While I can see past his little quirks that makes him very much an individual, it’s his inability to accept “no” as an answer and co-exist in a structured environment where there are boundaries, coming in late, leaving early… dealing with his personal/family problems in an open office environment, treats everything like a joke, etc.
Even though his plate is very full, he’ll take it upon himself to tend to helpdesk type of duties when the appropriate people aren’t around. His willingness to help is appreciated – but his lack of knowledge in those areas for which we have staff for can cause more problems in the end.
When told no (or even “yes, but not right now”), or given direction contrary to his own wants, he acts like a wounded child and goes over or around me to my boss to get a ruling in his favor.
Right now, little bads are starting to add up and are beginning to outweigh the huge good that his extraordinary talents bring to our organization. He’s in his late 30’s and it’s unlikely he’ll change his ways. He comes from some big name IT companies where people like him are easily absorbed and don’t stand out as much and I’m starting to doubt the decision to bring him on board in that we may be the wrong environment for him.
Like most programmers, he’ll probably move on after spending a couple of years with us and this will become a moot point… but how do you handle extremely talented people who fit poorly with the company culture??