Our operations manager is spending half their week writing AI prompts and troubleshooting API connections instead of managing their team. How do we adjust their seat on the Accountability Chart to reflect these new technical responsibilities without neglecting their leadership duties?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic case of seat creep. When an operations manager starts acting like an internal software developer, they stop leading, managing, and holding their people accountable. Your operations will quickly suffer.

You must resolve this issue by looking at your Accountability Chart. A management seat requires a specific set of human skills and a high focus on people and processes. A technical developer or automation seat requires a completely different focus. One person cannot do both effectively.

Evaluate if your operations manager actually has the GWC™ to design and maintain these technical systems. Even if they can do it, you must decide if that is the highest and best use of their time. If they are spending twenty hours a week on technical troubleshooting, you are paying a management salary for development work.

If the business needs ongoing technical automation work, you must create a separate seat on the Accountability Chart, such as an Systems Analyst or Automation Specialist. Keep your operations manager focused on their core roles: leading, managing, and holding their team accountable to their weekly Scorecard targets. This keeps your leadership strong and your systems running smoothly.