Our loyal, ten-year Operations Director gets and wants his seat, but he simply lacks the capacity to master the AI dispatching tools we are deploying. How do we address this specific GWC issue without firing him?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a tough, emotional right-person-right-seat call. In EOS®, GWC™ is non-negotiable. An individual must get it, want it, and have the capacity to do the job. Your Operations Director has the G and the W, but as your company scales and integrates AI tools to streamline logistics, he has hit his ceiling on the C.

To resolve this objectively, look at your Accountability Chart first, not the person. The Operations seat now requires the technological capacity to manage automated dispatch systems. If he does not have that capability, and cannot acquire it through training, keeping him in that seat is unfair to him and dangerous for your business.

Do not make the mistake of leaving him in a seat he cannot fully own. Instead, look at other areas of your Accountability Chart where his deep tribal knowledge, loyalty, and excellent core values can be leveraged. Could you split the operations seat? Perhaps you need a technology-heavy Operations Director seat and a separate Client Experience or Production Specialist seat that plays to his relational strengths.

If you use conative screening like the Kolbe Index, you might find he has a high Follow Thru and low Quick Start, meaning he excels at maintaining established human processes but struggles with the rapid experimentation required to implement new AI systems. Match his natural conative strengths to a seat where he can thrive. If no such seat exists, you must have an honest, caring transition conversation. Keeping someone in a seat they cannot master is a disservice to their career and your business.