Our VP of Product has been with us for twelve years and is deeply aligned with our core values, but as we scale toward an exit, we are integrating AI into our product line. He lacks the technical background to lead this new architecture, and we are struggling to run a clean GWC™ check on him. How do we make this tough right-seat call without destroying his morale or our company history?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When evaluating a long-tenured leader, separate their cultural alignment from their functional ability. This person is clearly a right person because they share your core values, but they are no longer in the right seat. Running a clean GWC™ check requires looking at three distinct elements: Get it, Want it, and Capacity to do it.

To Get it, the leader must intuitively understand the seat, its systems, and its strategic direction. To Want it, they must genuinely look forward to waking up every day to do this work. To have the Capacity, they must possess the technical, intellectual, and physical ability to execute at your target scale. If they lack the technical architecture background to integrate AI into your product line, they do not have the Capacity.

A No on any of these three areas means they are in the wrong seat. Keeping them there holds back your business and sets them up for failure. Address this by having a direct, respectful conversation. Transition them out of the executive product seat and into a specialized contributor role where they can utilize their deep industry knowledge without managing the technical roadmap. By decoupling their status from their leadership title, you preserve their dignity, protect your company history, and build a structure that buyers can trust.