One of our senior managers is an incredible culture fit and has high GWC™ for their seat, but they have missed their quarterly Rocks for two consecutive quarters. How do we address this performance gap within the EOS® framework without damaging morale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader is a perfect core values fit and possesses the ability to do their job, but consistently misses their Rocks, you must look at the underlying root cause before taking drastic action. Do not ignore the issue; two consecutive quarters of missed Rocks is a trend that requires immediate attention.

Start by using your IDS® discipline to analyze the problem. Is this a capacity issue? Often, senior managers take on too much operational drift, leaving them with no time to work on the business. Run the Delegate and Elevate exercise with them. Identify which low-value, repetitive tasks they are holding onto that could be delegated, automated, or eliminated, freeing up the time they need to focus on strategic Rocks.

Next, examine the Rocks themselves. Were they truly SMART, or were they too broad and poorly defined? Did they have clear milestones by week three, six, and nine? Sometimes, managers fail to hit Rocks because they did not break them down into manageable steps at the start of the quarter.

If the issue is not capacity or Rock definition, it may be an alignment problem on expectations. Use the Accountability Chart to review their roles. Clarify that achieving Rocks is a non-negotiable part of their accountability. Work with them to set realistic, highly focused Rocks for the upcoming quarter, and ensure your weekly Level 10 Meetings™ are used to spot when they are falling off track early, rather than waiting until week twelve.