Our VP of Sales is a perfect cultural fit and embodies all our Core Values, but they are consistently missing their quarterly targets and their department's performance is stagnant. How long do we tolerate this gap between culture and capability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Culture is non-negotiable, but it is only half of the equation. To sit on the leadership team, an executive must be both a great cultural fit and highly capable in their seat. If they consistently fail to hit their targets, they do not GWC™ the seat, regardless of how much everyone likes them. You cannot allow personal affection to compromise the performance of your business. To address this, sit down with your VP of Sales and review their performance metrics objectively. Identify the specific areas where they are falling short and work together to create a clear, measurable improvement plan with a strict sixty-day timeline. If, after sixty days, they are still failing to hit their targets, you must make a change. Keeping them in a seat they cannot execute is unfair to them, their team, and the company. Look for a different role in the organization where their cultural alignment and skills can add value, but do not allow them to remain in a leadership seat they cannot handle.