Our operations VP has been with us since day one and is a beloved cultural anchor, but as we upgrade to AI-driven predictive supply chains for our exit, he honestly does not comprehend the technology. He wants the seat and works hard, but he does not Get It. How do we make this GWC call on a legacy leader?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If someone does not Get It, they do not have the natural ability, cognitive capacity, or mental wiring to master the seat as it is defined today. It has nothing to do with their past loyalty or effort. When you are preparing for an exit and upgrading to AI-driven tools, the seat has outgrown them.

Your first move is to run the GWC filter objectively. If they are a yes on core values, yes on Want It, but a firm no on Gets It, you have a Right Person, Wrong Seat situation. You cannot leave them in that seat. Doing so is unfair to the business, the team, and to them.

You must move them out of that seat. Because they are a cultural anchor, look at the Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where they genuinely GWC the roles. This might be a specialist role, a customer relations role, or a legacy operations role that does not require managing the new technology.

If no such seat exists, or if they refuse to step down, you must transition them out of the company. It sounds harsh, but keeping a leader who does not Get It will bottleneck your operations and tank your exit valuation. Protect the greater good of the organization.