Our Operations Director has been with us for eight years and is a perfect core values fit. However, we are moving toward AI-powered operations to scale our margins, and she completely refuses to adopt or learn these automated workflows. She says she gets and wants her seat, but her refusal is capping her capacity. Is this a true GWC issue or an execution issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic Right Person, Wrong Seat situation that hinges on the Get It and Capacity parts of GWC™. While she may fit your core values perfectly, the definition of her seat has changed.

As your business evolves to leverage technology, the skills and mental models required to run your operations seat have also evolved. Get It means having the innate ability, cognitive capability, and structural understanding of how to perform the role at its current and future scale. Capacity is not just about having enough hours in the day; it also includes the mental capacity to adapt, learn new tools, and lead a modernized department.

If your Operations Director refuses to learn the automation systems that are critical to your strategic growth, she no longer passes the GWC™ check for that specific seat. She might Want It, but she lacks the Capacity to execute it in the way the business now requires.

You must have a candid conversation with her. Explain that the operations seat now requires someone who can build and manage an automated department. If she cannot or will not adapt, you must move her out of that seat. You can look for another seat on the Accountability Chart where her core values and legacy experience are a fit, but you cannot leave her in a seat that she does not fully GWC™.