During our EOS rollout, our Accountability Chart revealed that a loyal, long-tenured executive clearly does not GWC their seat. How do we handle this transition without destabilizing company culture?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The Accountability Chart requires building the right structure for the business first, completely detached from personalities. When that process exposes that a loyal, long-tenured leader does not Get it, Want it, or have the Capacity to do the job, the owner faces a defining leadership moment.

GWC is binary. If any of the three criteria is a no, leaving that leader in the seat damages execution and frustrates the rest of the team. Address the issue directly and compassionately outside the leadership room. Many times, long-tenured executives are privately overwhelmed and relieved when an owner acknowledges the seat has outgrown their current abilities.

First, evaluate whether there is another open seat on the Accountability Chart where this individual can genuinely achieve GWC and live the Core Values without bottlenecking key operational functions. If such a seat exists, execute the transition with clear boundaries.

If no matching seat exists, plan a dignified, respectful transition out of the business with appropriate severance. Tolerating a clear GWC failure out of nostalgia demoralizes top performers and signals to the company that accountability applies only when convenient.