We have a long-time employee who has perfect core values alignment, but we recently redefined her seat to include managing our automated inventory database. She tried, but she simply does not have the technical capacity to do it. What do we do when a Right Person is in the Wrong Seat but we do not have another seat for them?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is one of the toughest human resource challenges an owner will face. Under the EOS framework, this person is a Right Person in the Wrong Seat. They match your core values completely, but they do not GWC the seat. Specifically, they lack the capacity to get the job done.

Your first obligation is to try to find or create a seat where they can succeed, but only if that seat is a genuine, structural need on your Accountability Chart. You must never invent a dummy seat or a make-work role just to keep a nice person on payroll. Doing so violates the principle of structure before people and damages team trust.

If you truly have no other open seat that fits their unique abilities, you must make the hard decision to let them go. Keeping them in a seat they cannot succeed in is actually doing them a disservice. They are likely stressed, feeling like they are failing every day, and blocking your business from operating at full capacity.

Handle the transition with extreme care and generosity. Because they are a Right Person who shares your values, explain the situation with complete transparency. Let them know that the company has scaled past their current seat, and you do not have a matching seat for their skill set. Offer them a fair severance package and help them find a new role outside your company where they can thrive.