We have an loyal department head who wants their seat and has the right core values, but as our operations scale, it is clear they lack the cognitive capacity to manage the complexity of their role. How do we address this specific GWC deficit without being heartless?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is one of the hardest situations an owner will face. You have a loyal department head who fits your Core Values perfectly and wants their seat, but they simply do not have the cognitive capacity to manage the complexity of their role as the business scales.

In the EOS framework, this is a GWC deficit. Specifically, they lack the capacity to do the job. Capacity is not just about time or skills. It is about cognitive horsepower, emotional intelligence, and the mental bandwidth required to solve complex problems at scale.

You cannot ignore this issue. If you leave a person in a seat they cannot handle, you are hurting the business and setting that person up for failure. It is actually unkind to keep someone in a role where they are constantly drowning.

To handle this professionally, you must have an honest conversation. Share your observations and use objective data, such as their weekly Scorecard metrics or missed Rocks, to show where they are struggling.

Explore if there is another seat in the company that fits their unique strengths. They may be an excellent individual contributor or a manager of a smaller team. If a suitable seat exists, transition them into it. If not, you must help them make a clean exit from the company. Do it with respect, but do not compromise on the capability required for your leadership seats.