Why Do Bright Employees Get Fired?

We always hear about bad employees who get fired or terminated for cause. However, A colleague shared with me the story of a bright mid-career professional who was terminated for saying too much to a client. No one, including her immediate supervisor, stood up for her. Why? They all felt she had it coming. It turns out the fired employee had told a client about some of the logistics issues her company was having delivering some services. She actually encouraged the client to find a different provider, since this company couldn't seem to get anything done. The client called the CEO and the employee, as they say, is history.

I have been thinking more and talking to others about how and why bright employees get fired. Surprisingly, not much is written about the subject. However, in my research, I did run across an article at CNN about why bad employees don't get fired . I thought both lists could be of value together. Below I recap the CNN list and then add the reasons for which I have seen bright employees get fired.

Why bad employees don't get fired:
1. The employee has a relationship with someone higher up.
2. The boss relies on the employee.
3. The employee brings more value than they cost.
4. The boss thinks it could be worse.
5. The boss is afraid of the employee.
6. The boss feels sorry for the employee.
7. The boss does not want to go through the hiring process.
8. The employee knows something.
9. The employee has everybody fooled.
10. He or she is not really a bad employee.

Here is my list of why bright employees get fired. After almost 10 years in the career development field, I think I have seen all of them.

1. Someone else who is better connected wants their job.
2. They don't know when to stop talking and say the wrong thing to the wrong person.
3. They are too cocky to learn anything new. They have all the answers.
4. They are in the wrong job and under performing.
5. They refuse certain assignments they think are beneath them.
6. They show no respect for the corporate culture or chain of responsibility.
7. They mix work and play and have Facebook running on their desktop all the time.
8. They whine about everything from salary, to assignments, to co-workers
9. They have offended so many people, no one is looking out for them.
10. They wait too long to get a mentor.

Can you share any other reason you know of why bright employees get fired?