We have an employee who is a perfect core values fit, but she fails the Gets It check for her current operations manager seat. Can we demote her to an individual contributor seat on the Accountability Chart without ruining her motivation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Moving a valued team member to a lower-level seat on the Accountability Chart is always a delicate conversation, but it is necessary if they do not GWC their current seat. Keeping someone in a seat they do not get is a disservice to them and a risk to the business.

Before you have this conversation, you must ensure that she fits the core values of the company. If she is indeed a Right Person, you want to keep her in the organization. The challenge is finding the Right Seat.

Schedule a private meeting to discuss the alignment. Frame the conversation around her strengths and where she can make the greatest impact. Explain that the operations manager seat has evolved to require skills that do not align with her natural talents.

Show her the individual contributor seat on the Accountability Chart. Explain the five key roles of that seat and why you believe she would excel in it. Focus on the positive impact she will have and how this shift will reduce her daily stress.

Most people who are struggling in a seat they do not get are secretly relieved when they are moved to a seat where they can succeed. If she accepts the transition with a positive attitude, you have saved a great cultural asset. If her ego prevents her from accepting the new seat, you must part ways.