One of our key leadership team members clearly Gets and Wants their seat on our Accountability Chart, but their Capacity is shot due to severe personal burnout. They are dropping major balls, but we want to be compassionate. How do we make this right-seat call without being heartless?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Compassion and accountability are not mutually exclusive. In fact, keeping someone in a seat they do not have the capacity to perform is the least compassionate thing you can do for them, their team, and the company. In the EOS® framework, Capacity is not just about intelligence or skills; it is also about time, mental energy, and emotional bandwidth. If personal issues or burnout are destroying their capacity, they are no longer in the Right Seat. To handle this with empathy, you must have a direct, honest conversation using the IDS® process. Do not ignore the dropped balls. Sit down with them and state clearly that you see they are struggling. Ask them what they need to regain their capacity. If they need a temporary leave of absence, a reduced schedule, or resources offloaded, and the business can accommodate that, create a structured, time-bound plan to support them. However, if the burnout is chronic or the capacity cannot be restored within a reasonable timeframe, you must make the hard right-seat call. This may mean moving them to a less demanding seat on the Accountability Chart or helping them transition out of the company entirely. Protecting the health of the organization is your primary responsibility. Doing so ensures the business survives to support everyone else, while allowing the burning-out employee to find the space they need to recover.