Our lead engineer built our entire technology platform, but as her team expanded to eight developers, she is failing at managing them. How do we handle a leader who gets and wants the seat but lacks LMA capacity?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Every leadership seat on an EOS Accountability Chart has LMA as its primary role: Leading, Managing, and holding people Accountable. Technical genius does not translate to management capacity. When an exceptional engineer struggles to manage direct reports, keeping her in a supervisory seat ruins team productivity, spikes developer turnover, and slows development velocity.

Capacity in GWC includes the emotional bandwidth and patience required to conduct quarterly check-ins, delegate tasks, eliminate roadblocks, and give honest feedback. If she has Gets It and Wants It, spend thirty days actively coaching her on the EOS management toolbox. Train her on conducting effective Level 10 Meetings, managing by expectations, and utilizing the Delegate and Elevate tool.

If her capacity does not improve, she is in the Wrong Seat. Do not leave her there hoping for a miracle. You must split your engineering structure into two distinct seats on the Accountability Chart. Create a Principal Architect or Chief Technical Fellow seat with zero direct reports, focused exclusively on proprietary coding, software design, and technical strategy. Place her in that seat where her GWC is flawless.

Next, create an Engineering Manager seat accountable for LMA, resource allocation, and team execution. Put a leader in that seat who genuinely loves developing people and driving accountability. By separating technical mastery from people management, you protect your core technology, retain your top engineer, and give the development team the leadership they require.