We need to restructure our Accountability Chart to prepare for a clean exit, but several long-term employees will no longer have their current seats. How do we transition them into new roles without executing a layoff that damages our culture?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Preparing for an exit requires designing the ideal structure first, regardless of your current staff. When you build this future-state Accountability Chart, you will inevitably find that some legacy seats disappear or change completely. This does not mean you must terminate loyal people who fit your core values.

Start by evaluating these individuals against the new seats on your chart using the GWC™ tool: do they get it, do they want it, and do they have the capacity to do it? Often, a loyal employee who is struggling in a bloated, outdated seat will thrive when placed in a more focused, specialized seat.

If a legacy employee does not GWC™ any of the new leadership seats, look downstream. You may have gaps in support, account management, or specialized project roles where their deep institutional knowledge is incredibly valuable.

Be completely transparent with them. Explain that the business is evolving to reach the next level, and their current seat is changing. Frame the transition as an opportunity to align their natural strengths with the needs of the business.

However, you must be unsentimental. If a person does not fit your core values, or if they cannot GWC™ any of the available seats in your new structure, you cannot keep them. Keeping the wrong person in a seat just to avoid a hard conversation will destroy your team culture and your company value.