Our operations director has been with us since inception and insists he gets the seat because he knows every operational detail, but his inability to understand data-driven forecasting is causing systemic failures. How do we address a GWC deficit when a long-tenured leader insists they get it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Longevity often creates a false sense of getting a seat. Getting a seat means truly understanding the role in its current and future context, not merely knowing historical workarounds. A founder-era leader often understands how things used to work when the company had ten employees, but fails to grasp how the seat operates now that the organization requires standardized processes, predictive scorecards, and cross-departmental coordination.

To address this objectively, separate knowledge from competence using the Accountability Chart. Review the five core roles defined for the seat. If one of those roles is operational capacity planning and forecasting, define the exact measurable standards for that role. What does success look like on the weekly Scorecard? What Rocks must be completed to prove the system works?

Once the expectations are defined, have an open and honest conversation outside the Level 10 Meeting. Explain that the seat has evolved as the company has scaled. Show the gap between the seat requirements and current performance. Do not talk about their loyalty or past contributions; focus entirely on what the business requires from the seat today.

If they genuinely believe they get it, give them a defined 30-day trial with specific, objective deliverables. If they cannot deliver predictive operational metrics, they do not get the seat.

When a tenured leader lacks Get or Capacity, keeping them in the seat harms the entire organization. You owe it to them and the company to address the reality. Either transition them into a specialized seat that leverages their technical knowledge without leadership accountability, or help them exit with dignity. Keeping someone who lacks GWC out of sentimentality is a failure of leadership.