Managing the Untouchable: 5 Moves to Fix Protected Underperformers

This episode explains how to handle a team member who underperforms but is protected by relationships, legacy, or embedded knowledge — creating an accountability gap where you own outcomes but not the leverage to change them.

It offers five practical moves: diagnose the type of protection, test your boss with a small concrete ask, redistribute control through structure, decide what you will carry (and document it), and hold the line so standards apply to everyone.