We have an employee who embodies our core values and desperately wants their leadership seat, but they consistently fail the Capacity requirement of GWC despite extensive training. How do we make the final call on a seat transition when the person has the heart and drive but simply lacks the ability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is the classic Right Person, Wrong Seat scenario, and it is the most difficult personnel call an owner faces. When someone lives your core values and has high emotional commitment, you want them to succeed. However, keeping someone in a seat where they lack Capacity will drag down the entire department and breed resentment among high-performing peers.

Capacity encompasses mental wiring, intellect, emotional intelligence, and time. If you have provided the tools, established clear measurables, and coached them over a defined ninety-day window, and they still cannot deliver consistent results, their lack of Capacity is structural, not circumstantial. You cannot coach innate capability.

The process for resolving this is objective and firm:
- Review the Accountability Chart to see if another open seat exists where this individual genuinely Gets It, Wants It, and has the Capacity to do it.
- If an alternate seat is available, move them into it with clarity on their revised five core roles and expectations.
- If no seat exists where they pass GWC™, you must exit them from the business with dignity and generous severance.

Tolerating a Capacity failure because someone is loyal or well-liked sends a dangerous signal to the rest of the organization that standards are optional. Make the call quickly to protect both your business and the employee from prolonged failure.