One of our long-standing managers produces solid technical output but constantly generates friction across departments and misses operational deadlines. How do we definitively diagnose whether this is a core values failure or a seat mismatch?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To diagnose whether an employee is a Wrong Person or in the Wrong Seat, you must separate culture from competence using the People Analyzer tool. Trying to evaluate both simultaneously in a normal conversation leads to emotional debates and circular arguments.

Start with the core values to determine if you have the Right Person. Score the manager against each of your company core values using plus, plus-minus, or minus. A plus means they consistently exhibit the behavior; a minus means they do not. If the manager consistently falls below your company core values bar, you are dealing with a Wrong Person. It does not matter how skilled they are or what their technical output looks like. A person who violates core values damages trust, destroys team cohesion, and must be exited from the organization.

If the manager meets or exceeds the core values bar, they are the Right Person. Now evaluate the seat using GWC™.

- Gets It: Do they instinctively grasp the role, its velocity, and how it impacts the rest of the business?
- Wants It: Do they wake up genuinely wanting to do the work, or are they dragging themselves through the week?
- Capacity: Do they possess the intellectual, physical, and emotional capabilities, along with sufficient time, to deliver the five roles?

If they pass core values but fail GWC™, you have a Right Person in the Wrong Seat. Because they fit your culture, your responsibility as a leader is to look across the Accountability Chart to determine if there is an open seat where they pass GWC™. If such a seat exists, move them. If no seat exists, help them find their next opportunity outside the business with transparency and respect.