Our VP of Operations has been with us for fifteen years and is a perfect core values fit, but as we prepare for a clean exit, their seat now requires high-level financial modeling and strategic forecasting. They want the seat, but they clearly lack the capacity. How do we handle this GWC call without destroying team morale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest calls a business owner has to make, but a clean exit requires absolute clarity on your Accountability Chart. You must evaluate this leader using the GWC framework: do they Get it, do they Want it, and do they have the Capacity to do it? In this scenario, your legacy leader gets the operational mechanics and wants the seat, but their capacity is capped. Capacity is not just about physical hours; it is about mental capability, emotional maturity, and the conative wiring required for the evolved seat. If a private equity buyer or strategic acquirer looks at your Accountability Chart and sees a critical seat holder who cannot produce the forecasting and metrics required to run the business, they will discount your company's valuation. You cannot sacrifice the future of the organization out of misplaced sentimentality. First, have a direct, loving, and honest conversation. Acknowledge their immense value to the organization and their perfect core values alignment. Explain that the strategic demands of the scaled VP of Operations seat have grown beyond their current capacity, and that keeping them in a seat where they are struggling is unfair to them and risky for the company. Second, look at your Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where they are a perfect Right Person, Right Seat fit. This might be a legacy client relationship seat, a specialized project management seat, or a training and development role. If such a seat exists, transition them with dignity. If no such seat exists, you must help them transition out of the organization. Keeping someone in a seat they do not GWC because of tenured loyalty is a disservice to the rest of your leadership team and a major red flag for potential buyers.