We have a team member who is a perfect core values fit but is clearly in the wrong seat on our Accountability Chart because they do not GWC™ their new responsibilities. How long should we coach them to see if they can step up before we make the hard decision to move or terminate them?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a team member has excellent core values but is struggling to perform in their seat, you are facing a classic Right Person, Wrong Seat dilemma. Because they fit your culture, it is natural to want to coach them indefinitely. However, keeping someone in a seat they do not GWC™ is unfair to them and damaging to the business.

You should follow a disciplined, time-bound coaching process. Do not let this drag on for months. Sit down with the individual and clearly identify the gaps between their current performance and the five roles of their seat. Agree on a specific plan to help them get, want, or develop the capacity for the seat.

This plan should have a strict thirty to sixty day timeline. Set clear, measurable milestones that they must hit. Check in weekly during their individual meetings to monitor progress.

If they cannot meet the standards within sixty days, you must make the call. If there is another open seat on your Accountability Chart that they fully GWC™, you can transition them there. If no such seat exists, you must make the difficult decision to let them go.

Allowing a wrong seat situation to linger hurts team morale and stalls your progress toward your V/TO® goals. A clean exit requires a leadership team where every single person is in the right seat, performing at a high level.