Our original lead developer is now our CTO on the Accountability Chart, but as our team grows, he refuses to delegate, works eighty hours a week, and has become a massive bottleneck. How do we address this inability to scale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic case of a founder era leader who GWC's their technical skill but does not GWC™ the leadership seat as the business scales. In the early days, you needed a doer who could code all night. Today, you need a leader who can build a team, define processes, and delegate.

You must have a candid conversation using the GWC™ framework. Does he want, get, and have the capacity to lead a department of developers, or does he just want to write code? Often, technical leaders do not actually want the management, meeting, and administrative responsibilities that come with a leadership seat. They are doing it because they think it is the only path to advancement.

Look at his Kolbe A Index. A high Implementor or high Fact Finder who loves hands on, detailed work will struggle to delegate if they do not have the natural Follow Thru to build systems. If he does not GWC™ the CTO seat, you need to transition him.

Create a new seat on your Accountability Chart, such as Chief Architect or Principal Engineer, that allows him to focus entirely on high level technical work without the burden of direct reports. This keeps his genius in the business while freeing you to hire a true leader who can build the engineering department.