One of our department heads works 65 hours a week and insists they Want the seat, but they are visibly burned out, constantly complaining, and micromanaging. How do we address a Want It failure when the employee vehemently denies it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Want It is not about raw effort, attendance, or loyalty. Working 65 hours a week while drowning in stress is often evidence that someone wants the title, the status, or the paycheck, but actively hates the daily reality of the seat. When someone genuinely Wants a seat, doing the work energizes them. When someone wants the rewards of a seat but hates the actual accountability, they burn out, micromanage, and infect the culture.

Sit down with the leader outside the weekly Level 10 Meeting and put the Accountability Chart on the table. Walk through their five roles one by one. Ask direct, diagnostic questions: Does leading this team and dealing with employee escalations give you energy or drain you? Do you wake up excited to solve these specific problems every morning?

Point out the observable facts objectively. Long hours combined with micromanagement and exhaustion are proof that the work is not a natural fit. Explain that wanting the seat means loving the operational burden, not just enduring it out of obligation or pride.

Use the GWC framework firmly. A minus on Want It cannot be fixed with training, extra staff, or a pep talk. If they do not genuinely want the daily friction of leadership, keeping them there damages both their well-being and the company performance. Offer them an alternative seat that matches their true strengths, or help them transition out of the organization cleanly. Tolerating a false Want It destroys leadership credibility.