One of my longest-serving leadership team members has clearly checked out mentally, but they still collect their executive salary and occupy a critical seat. How do I handle a highly valued legacy leader who has quietly quit?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Address this directly before the rot spreads to the rest of your organization. An executive who has checked out but continues to occupy a seat is highly destructive because they set a low standard for everyone below them. Use the People Analyzer to evaluate them. Specifically focus on the GWC tool: does this person actually want the seat anymore? Often, a long-serving leader has lost their passion for the role but stays for the title, security, or sense of obligation. Have a completely transparent, non-confrontational conversation. Acknowledge their past contributions and share your observations about their current engagement levels. Ask them candidly if they still want to put in the immense energy required to scale the business to its next level. If they admit they no longer have the drive, work together to design a graceful transition plan. This might involve moving them to an advisory role, a specialist seat, or helping them transition out of the business with a generous severance package.