Our head of operations has been with us for five years and survived our early growth, but as we target thirty percent year-over-year gains, he is visibly drowning and working eighty hours a week just to keep up. How do we objectively measure if he has the capacity to grow with his seat or if he has hit his ceiling?

This is a classic capacity issue that requires an objective evaluation using the GWC™ framework, specifically the capacity component. Working eighty hours a week is not a sign of dedication; it is a clear warning sign that a leader is hitting their ceiling.

To measure this objectively, look at the five major roles defined for his seat on the Accountability Chart. Is he consistently completing his quarterly Rocks? Are the department metrics on his scorecard on track? If he is working long hours but the numbers are slipping, he lacks the capacity to run the seat at this scale.

Next, evaluate his conative strengths. Review his Kolbe A™ Index results. If he has a high Follow Thru score, he might be trying to build complex, manually intensive systems that do not scale. If he has a low Quick Start score, he may be resisting the automation and process changes required to handle the increased volume. His natural problem-solving style might be a perfect match for a smaller operation but a bottleneck for a larger one.

Sit down with him and run a GWC™ assessment. Ask him to honestly answer if he has the mental, physical, and emotional capacity for the seat as it is currently defined. Often, drowning leaders are relieved when you finally address the elephant in the room.

If he has core values alignment and wants the seat, but lacks the capacity to manage it at this scale, you must restructure. This means moving him to a specialized seat where he can thrive, and bringing in a leader who has the capacity to run the larger operations seat.

Category: Leadership Team