We have had a critical Head of Operations seat vacant on our Accountability Chart for six months because we cannot find an external candidate who fully GWCs the role. Our leadership team is splitting the duties, but we are dropping balls and hitting a ceiling. Should we lower our standards to fill the seat or keep pushing through the burnout?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Never lower your standards to fill a seat on your Accountability Chart. Hiring someone who does not fully GWC the seat is a short-term band-aid that creates long-term operational disaster. You will end up spending more time managing their failures and cleaning up their messes than you would have spent doing the work yourselves.

If a candidate does not Get It, Want It, or have the Capacity for the seat, they are the wrong person for that seat. Period. Lowering your standards to relieve burnout is a trap that always leads to poor performance and cultural rot.

Instead, you must use your Level 10 Meeting™ to IDS the capacity issue as a team. Look at the five major roles of the vacant seat and determine which specific roles are causing the dropped balls. You may need to temporarily adjust your expectations, pause non-essential initiatives, or drop lower-priority Rocks.

Consider whether you can divide the roles differently or bring in temporary contract help to handle the tactical work while you continue your search for the right leader. Your focus must remain on finding a candidate who is a perfect fit for both your core values and the seat's requirements.

By holding the line on GWC, you protect your culture and maintain the integrity of your organization. This discipline ensures that when you finally fill the seat, the new leader will drive the business forward rather than pulling it down.