Our VP of Finance has been with us for twelve years and is a stellar culture fit, but as we prep for an exit, she is struggling with the forward-looking strategic projections and debt-facility management required for the seat. She gets it and wants it, but lacks the capacity to deal with investment bankers. How do we resolve this GWC call without losing her?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic Right Person, Wrong Seat situation that frequently occurs during exit preparation. Your VP of Finance fits your core values perfectly, but the capacity requirement of her seat has outgrown her current skill set. In the GWC™ framework, if someone lacks the capacity, they cannot remain in that seat, especially when negotiating with investment bankers and sophisticated buyers during due diligence.

To handle this without losing a loyal leader, you must redesign the financial function on your Accountability Chart. Do not force her into a seat she cannot handle, as this will lead to burnout, dropped balls, and a damaged valuation. Instead, create a new, elevated strategic Chief Financial Officer seat that owns the investment banker relationships, capital structure, and exit-level financial engineering.

Below that seat, keep or redefine a VP of Finance or Controller seat that owns the day-to-day accounting, financial reporting, and compliance. This allows your long-tenured leader to step into a seat where she fully gets it, wants it, and has the capacity to deliver stellar results. By making this structural change, you protect your exit valuation, keep a valuable culture fit, and ensure that every seat on your Accountability Chart has one name that fully matches the GWC™ criteria.