My business partner's brother is our lead account manager. He is a great guy, but he is consistently missing his client retention measurables on our Scorecard and refuses to use our new client onboarding software. My partner is defensive about it. How do we address this Right Person, Wrong Seat issue without ruining our partnership?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a sensitive issue that tests the strength of your partnership and your commitment to Our Charter. When a partner's family member is failing in their seat, you must address the issue with absolute vulnerability and a Humbly-Confident approach. Keeping a wrong-seat employee on the payroll destroys trust within the leadership team.

You and your partner must agree to put the company's well-being above personal sentiment. Address the situation systematically:
- Schedule a private partner Same Page meeting to discuss the issue openly.
- Review the account manager's Scorecard measurables and his GWC™ evaluation objectively.
- Focus on the data: the missed retention numbers and the refusal to use the onboarding software.
- Frame the conversation around helping him succeed, not attacking his character.

If he does not GWC™ the seat because he refuses to adapt to the new technology, you must agree on a transition plan. This might mean moving him to a non leadership specialist seat where he fits, or transitioning him out of the company.

By resolving this issue objectively, you reinforce a culture of accountability and protect your partnership from unspoken resentment.