Our veteran operations manager runs manual spreadsheets effectively but refuses to adopt our new AI-assisted dispatch and workflow automation tools, arguing they are unnecessary. How do we handle this GWC deficit when technology redefines an existing seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When the operating reality of your business shifts, the seat requirements on the Accountability Chart shift with it. What made an employee successful five years ago may not meet the demands of the business today.

Examine the situation using GWC: Get it, Want it, and Capacity to do it. The capacity component includes mental, physical, emotional, and technological capability. If your market demands real-time data, instant customer scheduling, and AI-driven route optimization to stay profitable, manual spreadsheets are no longer sufficient. If the seat requires operating and managing AI-driven workflows, mastering that technology is no longer optional.

Sit down with your manager outside the Level 10 Meeting. Clarify that the seat has evolved. Outline the specific technical proficiencies required to hit the department Scorecard numbers and execute quarterly Rocks. Give them a clear thirty-to-sixty-day window to learn the systems, providing whatever training or external coaching they need.

If the manager understands the tools and can physically learn them, but stubbornly resists the modern workflow, they lack the Want. If they want to do it but cannot grasp the technical integration, they lack the Capacity. Either way, keeping someone in a seat who refuses to leverage efficiency tools will cripple your margins and destroy your enterprise value. If they cannot fulfill the evolved seat, you must transition them out.