Our Head of Operations is excellent at managing our physical logistics, but he flatly refuses to use our new automated routing tools, which is slowing down our entire delivery chain. How do we handle this GWC call on an otherwise high-performing leader?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leader who refuses to adopt tools that are central to your business strategy has a GWC problem. Even if he is excellent at managing physical logistics, his refusal to use automated tools means he does not have the capacity for the modern version of his seat.

Capacity is not just about physical time. It is also about the mental and emotional capacity to adapt to new systems and lead his department into the future. By rejecting the tools, he is actively bottlenecking your operational efficiency and reducing your exit valuation.

You must address this directly in your next conversation. Use the GWC framework to show him how the seat has evolved. Explain that using and monitoring the automated routing tools is now a non-negotiable role within his seat on the Accountability Chart.

Give him a clear timeline, perhaps thirty days, to learn the tools and integrate them into his daily workflow. Offer him the necessary training and support, but make it clear that his performance in this seat is tied to his adoption of the technology.

If the thirty days pass and he still refuses to adapt, you have your answer. He is no longer RPRS, which means Right Person, Right Seat. You must move him to a different seat where tech adoption is not critical, or help him make a clean exit from the business. You cannot let one leader block your operational progress.