We have some leadership team members who have been with us for a decade but might not fit the new Accountability Chart. How do you guide us through these difficult seat alignment decisions during our early sessions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

One of the hardest parts of scaling a business is realizing that the people who helped you get to where you are today might not have the capability to take you to the next level. During our sessions, we address this directly using the Accountability Chart and the GWC™ tool.

We start by defining the structure that the business needs to reach its long-term goals, completely independent of the people currently on the team. Once we have defined the seats and their core roles, we objectively evaluate each leadership team member. We look at whether they share your core values and whether they GWC their seat, which means they Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to perform.

If a long-term employee does not fit their new seat, we do not ignore the issue. We use the IDS® process to discuss the situation openly. My role is to help you navigate these emotional decisions with clarity and respect.

Sometimes, this means transitioning a loyal employee into a different seat where they can succeed, or helping them make a graceful exit from the organization. We do not make these decisions rashly, but we do make them with absolute honesty. Holding onto a leader who is struggling only hurts the team and holds the business back from reaching its full potential.