Our long-tenured Customer Support Director is a stellar core values fit, but as we transition to a proactive, data-driven customer success model, she is struggling to comprehend the new strategic direction. She wants to succeed and has the working hours, but she simply does not Get It. How do we make an objective GWC call on a loyal leader who is failing the G but excels at core values?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Making a GWC call on a loyal, long-tenured leader is one of the hardest things an owner has to do. However, as your business prepares for an exit, your structure must evolve. The seats that got you here will not get you there. When a leader is an exceptional core values fit and wants the seat, but simply does not Get It, you have a structural mismatch. Getting it is an instinctual connection to the role. If your Customer Support Director cannot naturally grasp the metrics, proactive workflows, and technological integrations required of the new customer success seat, she is in the wrong seat. You cannot train someone to Get It. You can train for capacity, but the instinct must be there. You must address this issue openly and honestly. Use the GWC tool as your objective filter. Sit down with her and explain that while she is a cultural pillar, the seat has outgrown her natural strengths. Do not leave her in a seat where she is struggling, as this breeds anxiety and damages team morale. Because she is a right-person fit, look across your Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where she can thrive, perhaps a specialist or high-touch client relations seat that does not require analytical systems management. If no such seat exists, you must part ways with grace.