Our operations director has been with us for eight years, fits our Core Values completely, and works sixty hours a week, but as we standardized our service model, they consistently fail to understand repeatable systems. How do we address a clear Gets It failure in a loyal leader without breaking their spirit?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A failure in Gets It is the most painful GWC call an owner has to make because it cannot be resolved with training, coaching, or extra hours. Getting it is about natural wiring, instinct, and mental capability for the specific seat. A loyal leader who excelled at heroic, improvised problem solving in the early days may be fundamentally wired against disciplined, standardized execution.

You must address this directly using the EOS People Analyzer and the Accountability Chart. Schedule a one-on-one conversation outside the Level 10 Meeting. Acknowledge their loyalty, their deep alignment with your Core Values, and their historical contributions to the business. Then review the five core roles of the redesigned Operations seat together.

Focus specifically on the roles requiring system architecture and process adherence. Point out where the disconnect lies between the seat requirements and their natural instincts. When a leader does not get a seat, they are usually feeling intense stress. They work exhausting schedules trying to compensate for an absence of natural fit.

Explain that their inability to get this specific seat does not mean they lack value as a person. If they are a Right Person who lives your Core Values, evaluate whether another seat exists on the Accountability Chart where their natural wiring adds value, such as custom client solutions or strategic vendor relations. If no appropriate seat exists, keeping them in a role they do not get is not loyalty. It damages the company and sets a loyal colleague up for chronic failure.