Our head of operations was a rockstar who successfully helped us grow from two million to ten million in revenue, but now that we are targeting twenty million, they are drowning, missing KPIs, and burning out. How do we objectively determine if this legacy leader can be coached to scale with us, or if we need to make a tough change?

This is one of the most painful realizations an owner can face. A leader who was perfect for one stage of growth is often not equipped for the next stage. To remove emotion from this decision, you must run them through the EOS® People Analyzer tool.

First, evaluate them against your Core Values. If they still fit your culture, the issue is not who they are, but what they do.

Second, look at their seat on the Accountability Chart using the GWC™ filter. Does this leader truly have the mental, emotional, and physical capacity to lead a much larger, more complex department? Scaling requires moving from doing the work to managing systems, predicting issues, and developing people.

Have a frank, open conversation. Ask them how they feel about their current workload. Often, a drowning leader is secretly miserable and relieved when you address the elephant in the room.

If they want the seat and believe they can do it, give them a tight, thirty-day window with three specific, measurable Rocks to hit. Provide clear coaching and resources. If they fail to hit those Rocks, or if they admit they do not want the stress of the scaled-up seat, you have your answer. You must move them to a different seat where they can succeed, or help them transition out of the business gracefully. Keeping them in a seat they cannot handle is unfair to them and stalls your entire company.

Category: Leadership Team