We promoted our top estimator to Director of Operations. He wants the job intensely and has the intellectual capacity to handle the workload, but he fundamentally does not get how to manage people and lead the department. How do we handle someone who has Want and Capacity, but lacks Get?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The Get component of GWC™ is about natural wiring, instinct, and a deep, visceral understanding of what the seat requires. You can teach skills, and you can provide resources to build capacity, but you cannot force someone to get a seat if their brain simply does not grasp the reality of the role.

When a leader has Want and Capacity but lacks Get, you are dealing with a structural mismatch:
- Acknowledge that intellect is not the same as instinct. An employee can have an extraordinary work ethic and high intelligence, yet completely lack the emotional intelligence, operational rhythm, or managerial instincts needed to run a team.
- Provide clear, direct feedback using the People Analyzer®. Point to specific examples where their lack of grasp caused operational bottlenecks or team friction. Give them thirty days to demonstrate an intuitive shift in behavior.
- Do not drag the process out. In almost every case, a person who does not naturally get a seat will never get it. Keeping them in the seat leads to burnout, frustration, and resentment from their direct reports.
- Transition the person back to an individual contributor seat where their high capacity and strong desire produce maximum value. In this case, move them back to senior estimating or technical project scoping, where their analytical talent shines.

A leader who lacks Get cannot be coached into excellence. Move them to a seat they naturally understand before you ruin their confidence and disrupt your department.