I am a founder planning for an eventual exit, and I know I need to hand over my seat on the Accountability Chart, but I am struggling to evaluate if my internal successor truly GWC's the role. How do I objectively assess this without letting my personal biases get in the way?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Evaluating an internal successor to take over your seat requires a completely objective framework, which is where GWC™ comes in. You must evaluate Get It, Want It, and Capacity as three separate, binary questions. To assess if they Get It, ask yourself if all their past actions show they truly understand the culture, the systems, and the natural flow of the seat. To assess if they Want It, look at whether they genuinely desire the daily responsibilities and pressures of the role, or if they are just attracted to the compensation and prestige. Finally, to assess Capacity, determine if they have the mental, emotional, and physical capabilities, along with the time, to perform the role at a high level. If you answer no to any of these three elements, they are not the right fit for the seat. Do not let your personal loyalty or your desire for a quick exit cloud this assessment. Placing someone in a seat they do not GWC™ will damage your operations and ultimately lower your valuation when it is time to sell.