Our long-tenured customer service manager has amazing core values and has been with us since day one, but we are upgrading our processes and we suspect she no longer GWC's her seat. How do we make this tough call objectively?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic Right Person, Wrong Seat dilemma. Your legacy manager has the core values, which makes her a right person. However, the seat has outgrown her capabilities, meaning she no longer GWC's the seat.

To evaluate this objectively, break down GWC. Get It means she intuitively understands the role. Want It means she genuinely desires the responsibility and the daily grind of the seat. Capacity means she has the mental, physical, and emotional capability, along with the time, to do the job.

In this scenario, she likely gets it and wants it, but lacks the capacity to run your upgraded, systemized processes. You cannot ignore this. Keeping her in the seat will frustrate her, burn out her team, and stall your business growth.

Use the Trust Equation from Charles Green. To handle this with integrity, prioritize personal connection and show vulnerability. Have a direct, honest conversation with her. Do not beat around the bush or use corporate jargon.

Explore if there is another seat in the organization where she can thrive. If her conative strengths match a different role, transition her there. For example, run a Kolbe assessment to see if her natural strengths fit a different seat. If no such seat exists, you must make the hard call to let her go. Keeping someone in a seat they cannot fulfill is unfair to them and damaging to the business.