How do we handle the emotional friction when a long-time employee does not fit the new Accountability Chart we designed during Focus Day?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Designing your Accountability Chart during Focus Day™ often reveals that a long-time, loyal employee no longer fits their seat or no longer aligns with the needs of the growing business. This is one of the most emotionally challenging parts of an EOS® implementation, but you must address it head-on.

The business must be structured for growth first, which means you must design the seats and the five major roles for each seat based entirely on what the organization needs to succeed. Only after the chart is built do you look at your people. When evaluating individuals, you must use the GWC™ filter: do they Get it, do they Want it, and do they have the Capacity to do it?

If a loyal employee does not GWC™ their seat, you cannot keep them there just to be nice. Doing so hurts the business, frustrates the rest of the team, and ultimately sets the individual up to fail. Your responsibility as a leader is to either find a seat where they do GWC™ the role or make the hard decision to transition them out of the company. Clear expectations and absolute honesty are the kindest things you can provide.