We have designed our ideal three-year Accountability Chart to prepare the company for an acquisition, but we have two loyal, long-term managers whose skills do not fit any of these future seats. Do we terminate them now, or can we create temporary seats on our chart to transition them out?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not build your business structure around your current people. You must design the ideal Accountability Chart first to reach your three-year goals, and then place the right people in those seats. If your loyal managers do not GWC any of the future seats, you must plan for their transition, but you do not need to fire them today. You can utilize temporary transition seats on your chart, but you must be extremely disciplined about how you manage them. A transition seat must have a clear, documented expiration date and highly specific transition deliverables, such as documenting processes or training their eventual replacements. This prevents the temporary seat from becoming a permanent, expensive hiding place for underperforming staff. Be completely transparent with these managers. Let them know where the business is going, why the future seats require different skill sets, and what their transition timeline looks like. Many loyal employees will appreciate the honesty and gladly help you build the bridge to the future if they are treated with respect and offered a fair transition package. However, if they become disengaged or toxic during this period, you must accelerate their departure. Never sacrifice your ideal company structure to avoid having a difficult conversation.