We have designed a newly required Quality Assurance and Tribal Knowledge Documentation seat that is vital for our exit, but absolutely none of our current leadership team members wants to own it. How do we fill this critical vacancy without forcing it on someone who will resent it and fail GWC?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When preparing for an exit, capturing tribal knowledge is non-negotiable. If you have designed a critical seat like Quality Assurance and Tribal Knowledge Documentation but nobody on your leadership team wants to touch it, you cannot simply force it onto someone. Doing so violates the GWC™ framework. If they do not Want it, they do not belong in the seat, period. Forcing it guarantees poor results and cultural resentment.

First, you must understand that the Accountability Chart represents the ideal structure for the business, not a reflection of your current payroll. If a seat is vital to your exit readiness but empty, you must treat it as an open vacancy.

Start by temporarily assigning the accountability of that seat to the Integrator. The Integrator is ultimately responsible for ensuring all seats are functioning, even if they must temporarily sit in them.

Next, look outside your leadership team. Is there a highly organized, process-driven individual further down in the organization who would thrive in this role? This is often an excellent growth opportunity for a detail-oriented manager.

If no internal candidate fits, you must recruit externally or look at fractional resources. For a tribal knowledge documentation seat, a contract technical writer or a fractional operations specialist is often the cleanest solution. They can build the playbooks and systemize the department without dragging down your leadership team.

Never compromise on GWC™. Leave the seat open on your Accountability Chart and label it as vacant. A vacant seat is a healthy, visible issue that you can solve through your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ and IDS® process.