We are designing our Accountability Chart for an exit and want to elevate our high-performing sales manager to a strategic revenue-generation seat. They want the title and the pay, but we suspect they lack the capacity for strategic forecasting. How do we test their GWC for a seat that does not yet exist?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot test someone for a seat based on vague assumptions. Before you can evaluate if your sales manager fits this new strategic seat, you must clearly define the seat on your Accountability Chart. Do not write a traditional job description. Instead, list the five major roles and responsibilities that this seat must own to drive your exit strategy.

Once the seat is fully defined, run a rigorous GWC check. Ask three specific questions. First, do they get it? Do they truly understand the systems, the mechanics, and the strategic thinking required for this level of planning? Second, do they want it? Do they genuinely want the responsibility of forecasting, or do they just want the elevated title and compensation?

Third, do they have the capacity? This includes intellectual capacity, emotional intelligence, and physical time. Strategic forecasting is vastly different from running a sales team. If they struggle with strategic thinking, they do not have the capacity. Be completely honest during this evaluation. If they fail on even one of the three GWC criteria, do not place them in the seat. Elevating a great tactician into a strategic seat they cannot handle is a recipe for operational failure.