The Star Who Broke the Team: High-Performer Toxicity at Nova Creative Agency

A creative agency's top biller is also its most destructive force. People are leaving. The CEO asked you to improve team dynamics. Your real job is to help them see what they won't.

Duration

60 min

Difficulty

Beginner

Stakeholders

Company Size

Small (20-100)

Organizational Background

Nova Creative Agency is a 65-person boutique agency known for award-winning digital campaigns. Founded seven years ago, it has a strong creative culture with a flat hierarchy and a reputation for scrappy, talented work. Creative Director Jordan Blake joined three years ago and brought $2.4M in new business. He is also widely known internally as volatile, dismissive, and prone to public criticism of junior staff. The CEO, Mara Voss, has privately acknowledged the problem but publicly defended Blake because of his revenue impact. HR flagged the pattern 12 months ago. No action was taken. The recent transfer requests and resignations have created a retention crisis that threatens several active client relationships.

Key Stakeholders

Learning Objectives

Diagnose the organizational dynamics that enable and protect toxic high-performers
Distinguish interpersonal conflict from systemic tolerance of harmful behavior
Conduct sensitive stakeholder interviews with psychological safety
Develop findings that challenge leadership without triggering defensiveness
Design interventions that address accountability, retention, and culture simultaneously

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