Many thousands of car fanatics are mourning the loss of Jeremy Clarkson from BBC’s internationally successful Top Gear program. But the case is a good illustration of a common tension in many business – that of a high performing and ‘successful’ employee who engages in controversial (and sometimes unlawful) behaviour.

Clarkson is renowned for behaviour which might be called ‘edgy’ by some, and ‘offensive’ by others. Often high-performing employees are excused for ‘quirks of character’ that, in other employees, might lead to a swift exit from the business. These quirks are often seen as part and parcel of the person’s high performance nature – ‘oh, that’s just the way he is’ or ‘that’s what you get with her’. Managers can be reluctant to take action for fear of losing a person responsible for bringing in significant customers or high volumes of sales.
Continue Reading Have you applied the ‘Clarkson test’?