A senior operations manager is unofficially running our entire company workflow because our official Vice President of Operations has become an unengaged figurehead. Our frontline team already routes every real issue through the manager. How do we update our Accountability Chart to reflect operational reality without causing organizational chaos?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an informal leader is running operations while a titled executive coasts, your Accountability Chart is a lie. This disconnect damages trust across the organization, burns out the informal leader, and signals to staff that titles matter more than performance. You must realign the chart to reality swiftly.

Start by auditing the five roles of the Operations seat. Compare the actual daily execution of both individuals against those roles. Who is actually solving operational bottlenecks during Level 10 Meetings? Who is driving process compliance? Who has the respect and followership of the frontline team?

Next, address the VP of Operations using the GWC framework. A figurehead VP almost always fails the Want it or Capacity components. They may understand the mechanics of the seat, but they no longer possess the fire, energy, or dedication required to lead the department. Have a candid, private conversation. Do not dance around the issue. Present specific evidence showing that operational leadership has migrated to the senior manager.

Give the VP a choice: step down into a specialized technical seat that matches their current engagement level and skills, or orchestrate an orderly transition out of the business.

Once the seat is vacated, evaluate the senior operations manager. Do not promote them automatically out of gratitude. Run them through the People Analyzer to ensure they live your Core Values and truly Get, Want, and have the Capacity for the full executive seat, not just the technical firefights. If they pass, put their name in the Operations box immediately and announce the structural change clearly to the entire company.