We have a Director of Customer Success who matches our core values perfectly and has the technical capability, but she is consistently failing to hit her retention targets. When we run the GWC tool, she says she gets it and wants it, but we suspect she is just saying what we want to hear because she is afraid of losing her job. How do we make an objective, honest GWC call in this scenario?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an employee's performance lags but they claim they GWC their seat, you must look at objective data rather than their verbal assurances. It is common for employees to say yes to keep their jobs, but the reality of their performance tells a different story.

To make an objective GWC call, break down each component. First, consider Get It. Does her daily decision-making show that she understands the natural flow and pace of customer success? If she struggles to handle difficult client escalations without management intervention, she may not truly get the seat.

Next, evaluate Want It. This is about genuine, intrinsic motivation. If she is constantly stressed, lacks enthusiasm, or avoids taking ownership of her targets, she may want the paycheck but not the actual daily pressure of the seat.

Finally, look at Capacity. This includes physical time, mental capability, and emotional bandwidth. If she lacks the capability to analyze churn data or build retention strategies, her capacity is lacking.

Use your Level 10 Meeting to address these gaps directly. Share the specific, red metrics on your Scorecard and ask her to explain the root causes. If she cannot provide a clear plan to turn the numbers around, you must make the hard call. She may be a Right Person, but she is currently in the Wrong Seat.