Our original sales director has been with us for nine years and is like family, but as we scale, he clearly no longer wants the management burden that comes with his seat on the Accountability Chart. He is a phenomenal individual producer, but he is failing GWC because of the 'Want' component. How do we make this Right Person, Right Seat call without destroying our relationship?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the toughest calls an owner has to make, but scale demands brutal honesty. When a long-tenured leader fails GWC™ on 'Want', it means they no longer have the passion, drive, or desire to fulfill the accountabilities of that specific seat. Keeping them in a leadership seat they do not want is unfair to them and toxic for the team they manage.

The solution starts with separating the person from the seat. Use the People Analyzer to confirm they are a perfect core values fit. Since they are, they are the Right Person. Now look at the Accountability Chart to see if there is another seat where they can excel.

In this scenario, you must remove them from the leadership seat and create a specialized individual contributor seat, such as a major accounts director or senior relationship manager. This new seat must have clear accountabilities focused solely on high-level production, entirely removing the management and leadership burdens.

Have an honest, transparent conversation. Explain that the business has grown and the leadership seat now requires accountabilities they no longer want to perform. Present the new individual contributor seat as a win for both sides. If they accept, you preserve a valuable relationship and keep a high producer. If they refuse, you must part ways cleanly. You cannot compromise the health of your leadership team to protect someone's ego.