Our Head of Operations has been with us for ten years and is a key part of our culture, but as we expand to multiple locations, he is clearly struggling to manage the increased complexity. How do we conduct an objective GWC evaluation when his personal loyalty is unquestionable but his capability has hit a ceiling?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest calls an owner has to make, but protecting a struggling leader hurts both the business and the individual. You must separate core values from seat capability.

Use the GWC™ tool to make a clean, objective call. Start with 'Gets It'. Does this leader understand the deep, systemic requirements of managing a multi-location operation, or are they still trying to run it like a single local office?

Next, look at 'Wants It'. Do they truly want the stress and responsibility of a larger, scaled operation, or do they secretly miss the simpler days? Often, stressed leaders do not actually want the new version of their seat.

Finally, evaluate 'Capacity'. This refers to mental, physical, and emotional capability. If they lack the skills to design scalable systems or manage remote managers, they do not have the capacity for the seat as it is currently defined.

If they get a 'No' on any of these three, you have a Right Person, Wrong Seat scenario. Since they have great core values, your goal should be to find a seat where they do GWC™ the roles. This might mean moving them to a regional management seat or a specialized project seat.

Be direct and compassionate. Explain that the current seat has outgrown their capacity and that you want to set them up for success, not failure.