Our long-term office manager is a perfect culture fit and wants her seat, but as we scale our operations using complex automated databases, she simply does not have the technical capacity to keep up with the workload. How do we handle this GWC call when someone lacks the Capacity?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest calls a business owner has to make. Your office manager gets it and wants it, but she lacks the capacity. Capacity is not just about hours in the day; it also encompasses mental, physical, emotional, and technical capability.

If your business has scaled to a point where her seat now requires advanced database management and digital automation skills that she cannot grasp, she no longer GWC's the seat. You cannot lower the bar for the seat to accommodate her, because doing so will cripple your operational efficiency and hurt your exit valuation.

First, you must have an honest, compassionate conversation with her. Explain how the seat has evolved and why she is struggling to meet the expectations.

Next, look at your Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where she does GWC the roles. Perhaps there is a newly defined administrative or customer-facing seat where her core values alignment and institutional knowledge can shine, but without the technical database responsibilities.

If such a seat exists and fits the business budget, transition her there. If no such seat exists, you must make the hard decision to transition her out of the company. Keeping someone in a seat they cannot perform is unfair to them, frustrating for the team, and dangerous for the business.