Our Head of Technology has been with us since day one and is a core values fit, but he lacks the strategic and analytical capacity to manage our transition to a fully automated SaaS platform. He insists he understands the seat and wants it, but he is constantly falling behind on his Rocks. How do we make this Right Seat call without destroying our company culture?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest decisions an owner has to make, but you must realize that keeping a loyal employee in a seat they cannot fulfill is actually doing them a disservice. As your business scales and prepares for an exit, the seats on your Accountability Chart must evolve. The capacity required for the Head of Technology seat today is vastly different from what it was five years ago.

You must use the People Analyzer tool to make an objective call. Your long-tenured leader passes on the core values, meaning he is a Right Person. He also says he gets it and wants it. However, the capacity component of GWC is where he is failing. Capacity is not just about having enough hours in the day. It is about intellectual, physical, and emotional capability.

To handle this without destroying morale, follow this approach:

- Have a direct, honest conversation. Do not blindside him. Explain that the complexity of the business has outgrown his current capacity and that keeping him in this seat is setting him up to fail.

- Look for a different seat on the Accountability Chart where he can succeed. Often, early employees are great individual contributors or technical experts but poor managers.

- If there is a seat where he fits both core values and fully GWCs, transition him there. This shows your team that you value loyalty but will not compromise on accountability.

If no such seat exists, you must help him transition out of the company with dignity. Keeping a person in a seat they do not GWC will hold your business back and hurt your valuation.