My co-founder is excellent at product design but is a terrible manager and has zero interest in our exit preparation metrics. We need to hire a true professional manager for the product department, but we do not want to push my co-founder out of the company or hurt his feelings. How do we transition him to a seat that fits his skills?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is common for early-stage founders to outgrow their ability to manage a department as the company scales toward an exit. If your co-founder does not GWC the leadership aspects of the product seat, keeping them there will stall your growth and frustrate your team.

You must separate their ownership status from their operational seat. Use your Accountability Chart to design the ideal product department structure. This structure likely requires a leader who can manage people, run Level 10 Meetings, and hit scorecard metrics.

Once the seat is defined, run the GWC check with your co-founder. If they lack the desire or capacity to manage, show them that keeping them in that seat is hurting the company.

Create a specialized individual contributor seat for them, such as Chief Product Architect or Innovation Lead. This seat should report directly to the new Product Director or the Integrator. This allows them to focus on their unique ability of product design while leaving management and execution to a professional leader.