Our head of engineering has been with us for eight years and is a master of our legacy codebase, but we are upgrading our operations to include AI-driven automated deployment. He claims he understands the new systems, but he consistently misses deadlines and resists using the automated tools. How do we apply the GWC framework to this situation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic issue where a long-tenured leader is falling behind the evolution of their seat. You need to evaluate him objectively using the GWC™ framework, which stands for Get It, Want It, and have the Capacity to do it.

First, does he Get It? This means his brain is truly wired to understand the new AI-powered systems, the modern architecture, and how his role must change.

Second, does he Want It? Does he genuinely wake up looking forward to leading an automated engineering department, or is he just holding onto his title and salary because of legacy comfort?

Third, does he have the Capacity? This refers to his mental, physical, emotional, and time capacity to manage this scale.

Based on his missed deadlines and resistance, he likely lacks either the Want It or the Capacity to handle the upgraded seat on your Accountability Chart. You must have a candid conversation. Share your objective observations without sugarcoating. If he does not GWC™ the seat, you cannot leave him in it just because of his long history. You need to decide whether to move him to a non-management specialist seat where he can focus purely on technical work, or help him transition out of the organization gracefully.