After restructuring our Accountability Chart, it is obvious that our existing operations manager does not get, want, or have the capacity for the newly defined seat. How do we handle this GWC breakdown directly without destroying company loyalty?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an organization outgrows a loyal team member, avoiding the conversation out of sympathy is the most destructive choice you can make. It hurts the business, frustrates the rest of the leadership team, and leaves that employee trapped in a role where they feel out of their depth.

Use the GWC framework objectively. GWC is binary:
- Gets it means they truly understand the seat, the workflow, the pace, and how all moving pieces fit together.
- Wants it means they wake up energized to perform the five key roles of that seat, not just collecting the paycheck.
- Capacity to do it means they possess the emotional intelligence, intellect, time, and skills required to execute at the level the business now requires.

If any of these three is a genuine no, that person cannot occupy that seat.

Sit down with the manager for a private conversation. Bring the Accountability Chart and the specific five roles of the seat. Walk through where the gap lies with calm objectivity, not anger. Explain that as the business expanded, the seat evolved into something completely different than what they were originally hired to do.

Explore whether there is another open seat on the chart that they fit 100 percent in terms of core values and GWC. If such a seat exists and benefits the company, transition them cleanly. If no seat exists, help them exit with dignity, clear severance, and appreciation for their past contributions. Keeping someone in a seat they cannot fulfill is not kindness; it is leadership cowardice.