We redesigned our Accountability Chart and created a single Director of Operations seat, but both our Field Operations Lead and our Plant Manager are qualified and want the job. How do we choose the right person for the seat without triggering an immediate resignation from the other?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot compromise the structure of your business to avoid hurting someone's feelings. Having two co-directors will fracture your operations and create finger-pointing. There must be one name accountable for the Director of Operations seat.

Start by comparing both leaders against the five core roles of the seat using the People Analyzer. Do not evaluate who has been with the company longer or who works more overtime. Evaluate who demonstrates the strongest GWC for the five specific leadership roles: LMA (leadership, management, accountability), cross-departmental integration, process optimization, capacity planning, and operational budget management.

Review their natural problem-solving profiles and operational temperament. Leading plant logistics requires different strengths than leading decentralized field crews. Select the candidate whose capabilities match the highest-risk operational priorities of your 1-Year Plan.

Once the choice is made, address the second leader immediately and directly. Do not apologize for the structural decision. Instead, frame the outcome around the critical importance of their existing seat. The runner-up must see that their specialized domain, whether field execution or plant management, is vital to enterprise success. Show them their seat on the chart, affirm that they are the Right Person in the Right Seat, and tie their compensation and growth to dominating their specific operational metrics. If a leader leaves purely because they did not get the top box, they were operating from ego rather than Core Values.