How should I handle an executive who fits our culture but is clearly struggling to hit their numbers on the Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is the classic right person in the wrong seat dilemma. In EOS, a right person matches your Core Values, but if they are failing to hit their numbers, they do not GWC the seat. They either do not get it, do not want it, or do not have the capacity to do it. To handle this objectively, you must separate your personal affection for the executive from the needs of the business. Start by looking at the Accountability Chart to define the exact roles and measurable outcomes required for their seat. Next, evaluate their natural wiring using cognitive and behavioral assessments like the Predictive Index. This data will tell you if the performance gap is due to a lack of skills or if the job simply demands a behavioral profile that does not align with their natural drives. If they have the desire and the basic cognitive ability, you can coach them. But if they lack the conative capacity to excel in that seat, you are doing them a disservice by keeping them there. You must have the courage to make a change. This might mean moving them to a different seat where they can succeed, or exiting them from the organization entirely. Leaving a struggling executive in a critical seat destroys team trust and lowers accountability.