Our Head of HR has perfect core values and everyone loves her, but she simply does not GWC her seat as we scale toward one hundred employees. How do we transition a highly loved, culturally perfect leader without causing a massive cultural backlash?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Handling a beloved team member who has hit her ceiling is one of the most delicate challenges a business owner will face. Because she is a perfect core values fit, firing her abruptly can damage company morale and make the rest of your staff feel unsafe. However, keeping her in a seat she cannot perform is a disservice to her and a major bottleneck for your scaling business.

The key is to run a transparent, compassionate, and objective process using the GWC™ framework. Sit down with her one-on-one and review the Accountability Chart for her seat.

- Walk through the specific roles and responsibilities of the seat at your current scale.
- Honestly discuss where she is struggling and where she lacks the capacity to deliver.
- Focus on the objective requirements of the seat, not her value as a person.

Because she shares your core values, she likely already feels the intense stress of being overwhelmed and may welcome a change.

Explore whether there is another seat in the company where she can excel and fully GWC™ the responsibilities. This could be a specialized role within HR, such as employee onboarding or talent acquisition, while you hire a more experienced executive to run the department.

If no such seat exists, work together on a respectful transition plan. Provide a generous transition package and help her find her next role outside the company. By handling the exit with dignity and care, you protect your culture while maintaining high standards of execution.