Our operations leader was a rockstar individual contributor, but now that they manage a team of fifteen, they are micromanaging everyone and their direct reports are quitting. How do we help them scale into a true leader, or determine if they need to be moved back to an individual contributor seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a top performer is promoted to run a department but cannot scale, it is usually because they are still acting as a super doer instead of a leader and manager. In the EOS® framework, every leadership seat requires a high level of LMA, which stands for Leading, Managing, and Accountability. If this leader is micromanaging and causing turnover, they are failing at LMA.

You need to address this immediately because cracks at the leadership level quickly turn into canyons for the rest of the organization. Start by having an open conversation using the GWC™ framework. Ask yourself and the leader if they truly get, want, and have the capacity for the leadership aspect of the seat. Getting the seat means they understand the structural role of LMA. Wanting it means they genuinely enjoy helping others succeed, rather than just loving the direct work. Capacity means they have the emotional intelligence and time to lead.

Give them a clear window, typically thirty days, to change their behavior. Focus their Rocks on delegating tasks and establishing clear scorecard metrics for their team. If they cannot shift from doing to leading, or if they confess they actually hate managing people, you must remove them from that seat. Keeping them there will destroy the department. Move them back to a high level individual contributor seat if one exists on your Accountability Chart, or transition them out of the company. Do not let loyalty or past performance blind you to the damage they are doing to your team health.