We made our first major external executive hire to run our sales division, but they are failing to hit their goals within their first ninety days. How do we determine if this is an onboarding failure or if they simply do not GWC the seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an expensive external hire struggles early on, owners often panic and either fire them prematurely or tolerate poor performance for too long. You need an objective way to diagnose the root cause of the failure within their first ninety days.

First, look at your onboarding process. Did you clearly define their five roles on the Accountability Chart, or did you just throw them into the deep end? A successful onboarding requires that you give them a clear roadmap, clarify their measurable numbers on the Scorecard, and outline their specific Rocks for the quarter. If you failed to provide this clarity, it is an onboarding failure, and you must correct it immediately by resetting expectations.

Second, if you provided clear expectations and they are still failing, you must run them through the GWC tool. Do they truly Get the job, meaning do they understand the culture, the systems, and the pace of an entrepreneurial company? Do they Want the job, showing up with the drive and energy required, or are they waiting to be told what to do? Do they have the Capacity, meaning the mental, physical, and emotional capability to do the work at this level?

If they lack the core values fit or do not GWC the seat, you have a hiring mismatch. Do not drag out the inevitable. It is far better to cut ties quickly and find the right fit than to spend months trying to train someone who is fundamentally wrong for your leadership team.