My Director of IT is incredibly loyal and has worked with me for fifteen years, but he lacks the capability to build our new AI-driven security architecture. He is defensive when we bring in outside consultants. How do we separate loyalty from capability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is easy to confuse loyalty with capability. Your IT Director has been with you for fifteen years, but managing legacy servers is not the same as building an enterprise level, AI driven security architecture. If they are blocking progress and acting defensively when you bring in outside experts, you have a classic GWC problem.

You must evaluate this leader on two fronts. First, do they share your core values? If they do, they belong in the company. Second, do they GWC their current seat? GWC stands for Get it, Want it, and Capacity to do it. While they might get the concepts and want the job, they simply lack the capacity to execute at this new technological scale.

Do not allow past loyalty to compromise the security and scalability of your business. If you keep them in a seat they cannot handle, you will eventually have to fire them when a major breach or operational failure occurs. Instead, use the Accountability Chart to find the right seat for them.

This might mean restructuring your IT department. You can create a new seat for an external Chief Technology Officer who GWCs the advanced architecture, while your legacy leader moves into an IT Operations Manager seat that plays to their actual strengths.

Be completely open and honest. Explain that the company has evolved, and you want to set them up for success in a role where they can excel. If they refuse to accept their true capacity limits, you must transition them out of the business entirely.