One of our department heads reports to my co-founder and is failing the GWC check for their seat. However, my co-founder is protective of them due to a long-term personal friendship and refuses to address the issue. How do we handle this?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This situation is a major bottleneck that breeds resentment across your entire company. When a co-founder protects a non-performing employee, it signals to the rest of the team that personal relationships trump performance and accountability.

You must address this issue directly using the IDS process on your leadership team. Start by separating the personal friendship from the business need. The Accountability Chart must be designed for the structural needs of the company, and the seats must be occupied by people who are a right-person, right-seat fit.

Run the employee through the GWC tool with your co-founder. Be objective. Does this person truly Get, Want, and have the Capacity to execute the five roles of their seat? If the answer is no to any of these, it is a fact, not an opinion.

Remind your partner that keeping someone in a seat they cannot fulfill is actually unfair to that employee. It causes them constant stress and sets them up for failure.

Agree on a clear, time-bound plan to address the gap. If the employee cannot bridge the capacity gap within thirty days, they must be transitioned out of that seat. The integrity of your Accountability Chart is non-negotiable if you want to scale and prepare for an exit.