One of our key leadership team members is an absolute culture fit and a close personal friend of mine, but they have missed their quarterly Rocks for three consecutive quarters. How do I address this performance issue without damaging our friendship or causing our team to think accountability only applies to some?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is where many owners fail. They let personal relationships and culture fit blind them to chronic underperformance. If a leadership team member misses their Rocks for three consecutive quarters, you have a GWC™ issue. They may share your core values, but they clearly lack the capacity to deliver in their current seat. To handle this, you must separate the person from the seat on the Accountability Chart. Schedule a dedicated, private meeting to address their performance. Use objective data, not emotional feedback. Review their past Rocks and discuss why they were missed. Ask yourself if they truly get, want, and have the capacity to do this specific job at your current scale. If they lack the capacity, you must make a change. Keeping them in the seat because of your friendship sends a dangerous message to the rest of the company that accountability is optional for the inner circle. This destroys team trust and lowers the standard of performance. Explore if there is another seat in the company where they can succeed and add value without holding back the leadership team. If no such seat exists, you must transition them out of the company. Do it with dignity and respect, but do not compromise the future of the business for the sake of avoiding a difficult conversation.