Our long-tenured Head of Marketing is a great cultural fit, but as we scale, our marketing has shifted from traditional events to complex digital customer acquisition. He does not truly get or have the capacity to manage this new model, though he insists he wants the seat. How do we make this right-seat call for a loyal executive?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest decisions an owner has to make, but you must be unsentimental if you want to prepare your business for a successful exit. A loyal employee who has been with you for years is a right person because they share your core values. However, they are currently in the wrong seat because they do not GWC the newly evolved role.

To make a clear right-seat call, you must evaluate them against the three components of GWC:

- Get it: Do they truly understand the digital acquisition strategy, the key metrics, and the systems required?
- Want it: Do they genuinely desire to do this specific job every single day, or do they just want to keep their status and salary?
- Capacity: Do they have the mental capacity, physical time, and technical skills to drive the seat forward?

If the answer to any of these is no, they cannot remain in that seat. Keeping a loyal leader in a seat they do not GWC is not doing them a favor; it is setting them up to fail and holding back your entire organization.

Your immediate action is to have an honest, compassionate conversation. Show them the Accountability Chart and the updated five major roles for their seat. Explain the gap between their current skill set and the needs of the business.

Explore if there is another seat on the chart that they do GWC, perhaps focusing purely on brand, events, or creative strategy, while you bring in a technical digital marketer. If no such seat exists or can be created within your budget, you must make the tough decision to transition them out of the company.