Our technical director is a brilliant problem solver who constantly saves the day, but they refuse to document their processes or delegate tasks, which makes our entire operation dependent on them. How do we coach them to scale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Being a hero is a drug, and your technical director is likely addicted to the rush of saving the day. While their dedication is admirable, this hero mentality is a major bottleneck that prevents your company from scaling and destroys your exit readiness. You must change how you measure their success. Stop praising them for firefighting and start holding them accountable for building a fire-resistant department. Sit down with them and review their seat on the Accountability Chart. Make it clear that their primary accountability is to lead, manage, and hold their team accountable, which includes documenting core processes so others can execute them. They must transition from a doer to a true leader. Set a specific, measurable Rock for the next quarter: document the top five processes in their department and train at least two team members to execute them. Track their progress weekly on your Level 10 Meeting™ scorecard. If they struggle to delegate, help them identify the tasks they need to let go of to elevate to their unique ability. Explain that by hoarding tasks, they are capping their own growth and holding the company back. If they refuse to adapt and continue to operate as a lone wolf, you have a capacity issue. A leader who cannot delegate and build a team does not GWC™ a leadership seat, and you must make a change to protect your company's future.