Our long-time Head of Engineering is a brilliant developer and a perfect core values fit. However, as our department grows, he refuses to do any actual management or structural planning. He just wants to write code. How do we handle this seat issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Your Head of Engineering is in the wrong seat. The head of any department must have a seat that includes roles like leading, managing, and creating accountability. If he refuses to do those things, he does not GWC™ the seat.

Specifically, he lacks the desire to lead. You cannot force someone to want to manage people. If you keep him in this seat, your engineering department will become disorganized, and your best developers will eventually leave.

The solution is to redesign your Accountability Chart to separate the management role from the technical role. Create a new Head of Engineering seat that owns the leadership and management responsibilities, and hire or promote someone who truly passes the GWC™ check for that seat.

Then, create a distinct individual contributor seat, such as Principal Architect or Chief Engineer, with roles focused purely on technical execution and writing code. Move your long-time employee into this new seat.

This preserves his talent and respects his preferences while giving your department the leadership it desperately needs. It is a win for your culture and a critical step in building an organization that can scale without relying on reluctant managers.