We have several loyal, long-term employees with deep institutional knowledge who are struggling to adopt our new AI workflows, meaning they no longer GWC™ their evolving seats. How do we manage this skill gap without destroying our company culture or losing their valuable expertise?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest challenges a leadership team faces when introducing new technology. You have people who fit your core values perfectly, but their capacity to perform their evolving role is falling behind.

First, use the GWC™ (Get It, Want It, Capacity to Do It) framework to diagnose the issue. Often, a long-term employee wants to succeed but lacks the training or confidence to use AI tools effectively. This is a capacity issue, which is solvable with targeted education and support.

Prioritize use cases for AI that directly simplify their most cumbersome daily tasks. Do not expect them to master complex prompting overnight. Provide structured templates and pre-built workflows that allow them to see the immediate value of the technology.

If they still cannot master the tools after training, you must make a hard decision for the health of the company. You cannot keep someone in a seat they cannot perform. However, because they have deep institutional knowledge and match your culture, look at your Accountability Chart to see if you can create a new seat where their strategic insights are utilized without the technical burden. Evolving roles gradually keeps your culture intact while ensuring your organization operates at peak productivity, which is vital for building a highly valuable, exit-ready business.