Our long-tenured customer success director fits our core values and wants her seat, but as we scale toward our exit, her technical and operational capacity is falling short. How do we handle this GWC™ check when the leader lacks only the Capacity component?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest decisions an owner has to make, especially when preparing for an exit. Under the EOS® framework, a person must meet all three criteria of GWC™: they must Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it. Capacity is not just about physical time. It is about mental capability, specialized skills, and the emotional strength required to run the seat as the company scales.

If your long-tenured leader lacks the capacity to run the department at the size the business will be at your exit, you cannot keep her in that seat. Doing so will bottleneck the department, burn her out, and ultimately hurt your business valuation.

To handle this, start by having a candid, core-values-driven conversation. Share the future-state Accountability Chart and explain how the seat has evolved. Because she has the right core values, she is the Right Person. Your goal should be to find her the Right Seat.

Look at your Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where she has full GWC™. This might be a highly focused individual contributor role or a specialized management seat that does not require the advanced technical or operational capacity of the director seat. If such a seat exists, transition her with care. If no such seat exists, you must help her transition out of the business with dignity. Keeping a leader who lacks capacity will stall your exit.