Our original operations director has been with us since day one, but as our company expanded past fifty employees, he clearly lacks the Get It factor for modern systems and data orchestration. Can a leader lose GWC for their seat as the company grows, and how do we resolve this?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Yes, a leader can lose GWC™ for a seat as the company grows. The Get It component of GWC is about innate wiring. A leader who had complete GWC when you were a five-million-dollar business with thirty people might have been the perfect seat holder for that phase of growth. But when you grow to twenty million dollars, the operational complexity scales exponentially. The seat evolved; the person did not.

Do not confuse tenure and loyalty with competence. When an owner lets a long-tenured leader stay in a seat they no longer get, the rest of the team bears the burden. Middle managers pick up the slack, execution stalls, and high performers get frustrated and leave.

To resolve this without cruelty, have an honest, private conversation. Use the Accountability Chart to show how the five core roles of the seat have fundamentally transformed. Contrast the operational needs of your three-year plan with their current execution. Be clear that their history and culture fit are deeply valued, but the business cannot compromise on the requirements of the seat.

You generally have two viable paths:
- If the company is large enough, redesign the Accountability Chart to transition them laterally into a specialized functional seat that matches their true wiring and strengths.
- If no suitable seat exists, help them exit cleanly and with dignity through a structured transition.

Leaving them in a seat they no longer get is not kindness. It is a slow-motion disaster for both the individual and the business.