Dealing with Big Mouths, Bigger Egos, and the Rest of the Crew

Published on June 12, 2025

If you’ve been in this line of work long enough, you know the type.
The loudmouth.
The guy (or gal) who never misses an opportunity to make themselves the center of attention at the shop. Who constantly peppers meetings with “Well, that’s not how I would do it” comments. Who likes to drop little one-liners that imply they know more than the superintendent or foreman.

Sometimes they’re trying to impress the new guy. Sometimes they’re trying to show off in front of board members or town officials. Sometimes they’re just wired that way.

Whatever the reason – you still have to manage them. If not handled properly, these personalities can erode morale, sow division among the crew, and even undermine your leadership.

Here are a few tips for dealing with the loudmouths in your highway department:

Don’t Take the Bait

The first rule of dealing with attention-seekers is don’t feed the beast. If you react publicly to every comment, challenge, or sarcastic remark, you’re giving them exactly what they want: attention and a chance to stir the pot. Stay calm, stay professional, and pick your battles.

Talk One-on-One

Public confrontation rarely works with these personalities. They tend to play to the audience. Instead, pull them aside when it’s just the two of you and explain clearly what behavior is unacceptable and why. Often they’re not fully aware of the effect they’re having, or they think no one notices. Let them know you do.

Keep Crew Meetings On Track

Don’t let meetings turn into a soapbox for one person. Set ground rules: one person speaks at a time, stick to the agenda, and keep personal jabs out of the conversation. If necessary, politely but firmly cut off side comments and redirect the discussion.

Give Them Productive Responsibility

Sometimes loudmouths act out because they’re bored or feel underutilized. If possible, give them a meaningful task or leadership role in an area where they can be successful (and where you can monitor the results). This can channel their energy more productively, and reduce the need to seek attention through disruption.

Document If Needed

If the behavior crosses the line into insubordination, harassment, or is impacting safety and team function, start documenting incidents. Hopefully it won’t come to this, but if you ever need to take formal action, good documentation will protect you and the department.

Protect Crew Morale

Most of your crew will see what’s happening. If they feel like the loudmouth is running the shop, or that leadership isn’t addressing it, they’ll get frustrated. Show them through your actions that professionalism matters and that respect for leadership is expected.

Every crew has a few strong personalities, and that’s not a bad thing. You don’t want a team of silent robots. But when someone’s behavior crosses into disrespect or disruption, it’s your job as the leader to set boundaries. Handle it professionally, fairly, and consistently, and you’ll earn the respect of the whole crew, even the loudmouths.

Tagged: Highway Department Employees Leadership Highway Superintendent