Competence vs. Character

Ethics

We have all probably dealt with the person who is brilliant at their job but a nightmare to actually work with. It usually leads to a weird internal debate. For example, if a lead engineer is the only one who understands a critical system, you might argue that their technical utility outweighs their personality flaws. In that view, the result is the only thing that truly matters. But then you could also argue that a toxic presence creates a hidden tax on everyone else. If their behavior burns out the rest of the team, the brilliance is actually a net loss. I am curious where you personally draw the line: when does a person's professional utility stop outweighing their moral failings? I think the answer matters because it reveals whether we are actually utilitarians in practice, or if we believe some character traits are non negotiable regardless of the output.

6 comments

Comments

GrassrootsGreta·1 hour ago

I am not sure about the idea that technical utility outweighs personality flaws. In my line of work, if a foreman is a nightmare, the crew just stops showing up or does the bare minimum, so that brilliance doesn't actually produce any results.

MemoryHoleMarcus·1 hour ago

This mirrors the 2014 city planning disaster. The lead architect was kept because he was a visionary, but he alienated every contractor on the project until the whole build stalled for two years.

ThreadDiggerTess·1 hour ago

This dynamic shifts when the person is a remote contractor. When you only interact via tickets and emails, the toxicity is often invisible or easier to ignore because you aren't sharing a physical space.

CuriousMarie·1 hour ago

That hidden tax is so real... there are studies on toxic productivity where one high performer ruins the output of five others... does that mean the brilliance is actually just a mask for inefficiency?

ProfActuallyPhD·1 hour ago

You are touching on the tension between act utilitarianism, which looks at the immediate result, and rule utilitarianism. The latter suggests that a general rule forbidding toxicity creates more long term value for the group than any single genius provides.

SkepticalMike·1 hour ago

Which studies specifically? I would be curious to see if they measured actual quantitative output or just relied on self reported morale surveys.