The Genius Jerk and the Dam of Stuckness

Layla Foord
Mar 30
3 min read

Updated: May 9

Every company has one.

That person who’s brilliant and impossible.

The one who’s always “right,” never wrong, and rarely kind.

Who doesn’t collaborate, doesn’t coach, doesn’t listen, but somehow ends up running the show.

Not because they’re the most capable.

But because over time, everything has to go through them.

You know the type.

They control the knowledge.

They thrive on the bottleneck.

They don’t just hold the keys, they built the door.

And they’re very good at making you think it would all fall apart without them.

And that’s the trick.

Because when someone becomes so central that no one else can move without them.

What you’re seeing isn’t genius.

It’s a dam.

The metaphor is literal.

Imagine a giant dam holding back the flow of your company.

Not just ideas but energy.

Learning. Momentum. Curiosity. Culture.

Now imagine one person standing at the base, arms outstretched, holding it all back.

You want to try something?

You’ll have to go through

You want to test an idea?

Better clear it with the gatekeeper.

You want to collaborate across functions?

Not without their permission.

And after a while you stop trying.

Because the water always flows back to them.

And that’s just how they like it.

So what happens if you move them?

If you gently, deliberately pick that person up, like King Kong between two fingers and remove them from the dam?

Yes, there would be a flood.

Some chaos.

Some churn.

Some “they’re the only one who knows how to do X” moments.

But then?

The system resets.

The pressure releases.

And suddenly, things start to grow.

Collaboration. Innovation. Autonomy. Trust.

All the things that were quietly suppressed by one person’s need to be the smartest or the most in control.

Because here’s the truth no one likes to say:

Genius jerks stifle growth.

Every time.

And worse, they teach your team that being controlling is rewarded.

That collaboration is optional.

That behaviour matters less than brilliance.

And that’s how you end up with a culture of stuckness, silence, and shallow wins.

But this isn’t an attack.

This isn’t about cancelling smart people with strong opinions.

It’s about seeing the system that forms around them and what it costs.

Many genius jerks don’t know they’re doing it.

They genuinely believe they’re protecting quality. Or pace. Or customers.

They’ve never been taught to listen, because they’ve never needed to.

They think they’re right.

And that’s why it’s dangerous.

Because when they believe it too, it becomes unmovable.

What to do instead?

Start talking about systems, not just personalities.
Reward collaboration as critical infrastructure, not a soft skill.
Teach teams to map flow and name where it’s blocked.
And above all: stop mistaking control for capability.

You’re not broken for wanting to move faster.

They’re not evil for needing to be right.

But the system is stuck and it doesn’t have to be.

Let the dam break.

Let the ideas run.

Let your teams build something new.

Even if it’s messy at first, that’s how ecosystems grow.

– Layla

If you're a leader navigating a high-stakes team dynamic and something here felt uncomfortably familiar, you're not alone.

Sometimes, the smartest people are also the hardest to move around.

But that doesn’t mean they’re untouchable.

It means the system needs realignment.

-Layla