We have a department head who is incredibly smart and works eighty hours a week, but she is constantly overwhelmed and missing her Rocks. My team argues she has the Capacity because of her intellect, but I think she lacks the emotional and conative capacity for the seat. How do we objectively define and measure the Capacity filter in GWC?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Capacity in the GWC™ tool is often misunderstood as purely intellectual horsepower or sheer work ethic. This is a dangerous mistake. Working eighty hours a week and missing Rocks is actually a screaming red flag that someone lacks the Capacity for their seat.

Capacity is the raw physical, mental, emotional, and conative resources required to do a job excellently within a reasonable workweek. If someone has to work eighty hours just to keep their head above water, they do not have the capacity for that seat.

To measure this objectively, use conative screening tools like the Kolbe A Index. Compare the individual's natural conative strengths with the demands of their seat. For example, if their seat requires high Follow Thru to build structured operational processes, but their Kolbe score shows a strong resistance to systems, they are experiencing severe conative stress. They are burning massive amounts of energy trying to work against their natural grain, which explains their eighty-hour workweek and missed Rocks.

Use this data in your next review. Show them that while you love their dedication, the seat requires a natural alignment they do not possess. You must either restructure the roles within the seat to match their strengths or find a seat that fits their conative makeup.