Our VP of Operations was incredible when we were at $3M, but now at $12M they are drowning, working 70 hours a week, and holding us back. How do we transition them without destroying the company?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic capacity issue. In the EOS® framework, we use the GWC™ (Get it, Want it, Capacity to do it) filter to evaluate performance. Your VP likely "Gets it" and "Wants it," but their conative capacity has been outgrown by the complexity of a $12M business. They are operating in a state of perpetual conative stress - trying to use brute-force effort to compensate for a mismatch between their natural problem-solving instincts and the demands of the seat.

First, you must separate the person from the seat. Map out your Accountability Chart for where the business is going, not where it has been. Define the exact outcomes required for the Operations seat at $12M and beyond. Next, have an honest, vulnerable conversation. Use their Kolbe A™ Profile to show them why they are drowning. If their natural instinct is high "Fact Finder" or "Implementer" but the seat now requires systemic "Follow Thru" to scale, they are physically and mentally redlining.

Your job as a leader is to protect the company first. Give them a soft landing by finding or creating a seat that fits their unique strengths - perhaps a specialized technical or project management role where they can excel. If no such seat exists, or if they refuse to step down, you must transition them out. Keeping someone in a seat they cannot scale is not loyalty; it is slow-motion sabotage of both the individual and the business.