We have a highly paid legacy employee sitting in a custom seat we created five years ago that no longer aligns with our core focus or our V/TO. He is a great culture fit, but the seat itself is obsolete. What is the process for eliminating the seat without destroying our team health?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Keeping an obsolete seat on your chart simply because you like the person sitting in it is a form of organizational debt. It drains cash, confuses your team, and slows down your progress toward your V/TO® goals. You must run the business for the greater good of the company, not for any single individual.

To address this, start with your leadership team during a quarterly meeting. Confirm that the seat is truly obsolete and does not serve your future-state structure. Once the leadership team agrees to eliminate the seat, you have a Right-Person-Wrong-Seat issue.

Since this legacy employee is a great core value fit, you must do everything you can to find a matching seat within the organization. Look at your open seats and your future hiring plan. Does he GWC™ any of these legitimate, needed seats?

If yes, have an open and honest conversation with him. Explain that the business has evolved, his old seat is being eliminated, and you want to transition him to a new role.

If he does not GWC™ any of your active or planned seats, you must let him go. Do not create a new, useless seat to avoid a hard conversation. Treat him with respect, thank him for his service, and provide a soft landing.