Our long-tenured customer service director has been with us since we started, but as we scale, their seat now requires managing complex CRM automations and analyzing data reports that they clearly do not understand. They claim they want the seat, but how do we objectively handle the GWC assessment when they lack the technical capacity?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest decisions an owner has to make, but you must separate loyalty from organizational capability. Your customer service director may be a perfect core values fit, but if they cannot handle the technological demands of the scaling seat, they do not have the capacity.

To make an objective decision, use the GWC™ tool. The G in GWC™ stands for Get It: do they naturally understand the role and its fast-moving requirements? The W stands for Want It: do they genuinely want to manage automated systems, or do they just want to keep their job? The C stands for Capacity: do they have the actual skills, intellect, and time to perform the roles?

If the answer to any of these is no, they are in the wrong seat. Keeping them there out of loyalty is unfair to them, because they are constantly stressed, and unfair to the team, who must work around their limitations.

You need to have an honest, direct conversation. Show them the five roles on the Accountability Chart for their seat and explain how those roles have evolved. If they lack the capacity, you must transition them out of that seat. Because they are a core values fit, look for another seat on the Accountability Chart where their deep industry knowledge and client relationships are a match, but where they do not have to manage the technical systems they struggle with.