Is Your Leader Technically Strong—But Culturally Misaligned?

By Nicole Mennicke

The Real Issue at Play

Almost every leadership team I’ve coached has had that one person—the individual who resists personal connection, avoids team-health conversations, and insists, “I do my job. I shouldn’t have to talk about my personal life.” On the surface, they’re technically strong. But underneath, something is off: the team laughs less, gets guarded, and bonds everywhere except with this person. Over time, they drift to the outside, feel excluded, and retreat even further.

It’s not a skill problem. It’s a vulnerability problem—and for a leadership team running on EOS® (The Entrepreneurial Operating System), it’s also a GWC (Get it, Want it, Capacity to do it) problem hiding in plain sight.

The Missing Layer of “Get It”

Traction includes a line most people skim over: “Get It means they understand their role, the culture, the systems, the pace, and how the job comes together.”

Most leaders interpret “Get It” as understanding the work. But in reality, “Get It” also includes understanding:

  • The culture—which requires showing up with humility and vulnerability

  • The operating system—which requires using the tools fully, not selectively

  • The pace—which is vastly different from large corporate environments

  • The team norms—including the expectation of trust, openness, and connection

If someone refuses to share anything personal, avoids discomfort, and won’t lean into vulnerability-based trust, they might “get” their function… but they don’t “Get It” at the leadership-team level.

Wanting It Means Wanting the Team—Not Just the Job

A leadership seat in an entrepreneurial company isn’t just about running a department. It’s about belonging to Team One (concept by Patrick Lencioni)—the leadership team—and prioritizing it above individual silos.

Wanting It includes wanting to:

  • Show up for peers

  • Create space for others

  • Share enough of yourself to build trust

  • Admit when you’re stuck, scared, or unsure

  • Engage in real, human conversations—not transactional ones

Leaders don’t need to share deeply personal stories. But they do have to show something of themselves. They must want to invest in the relationships required to lead together.

If they don’t want that? Then they don’t actually “Want It”.

Capacity Isn’t Just Time—It’s Emotional Capacity

The last part of GWC—Capacity—is often misunderstood. Yes, it’s time. But it’s also:

  • Emotional capacity

  • Empathy

  • Compassion

  • The ability to connect and be connected with

  • The willingness to be human with other humans

Transactional leaders drain entrepreneurial cultures. Not because they’re bad people, but because they cannot—or will not—create the space for vulnerability, trust, and shared ownership. Without those things, running an EOS leadership team becomes nearly impossible.

The Turning Point for This Client

In one coaching engagement, we watched a team struggle with this exact pattern. One leader remained detached, guarded, and resistant while the rest of the team grew more open, connected, and trusting. The gap widened every quarter. Their silence began to impact problem-solving, morale, and even the team’s sense of psychological safety.

So we sat down and reset the expectations—clearly, respectfully, and directly.  We walked through GWC in its full meaning. We talked about culture, pace, connection, and vulnerability. We laid out what this leadership role actually required.

When they realized what the seat demanded—and what they genuinely didn’t want to do—the leader opted out gracefully. And in doing so, they found a better-fitting organization with the culture and operating rhythm they needed to thrive.

That decision strengthened the team more than any tool ever could.

The Quiet Team-Health Win

GWC isn’t about judging talent. It’s about clarifying alignment. A leader can be brilliant and still be wrong for a seat that requires vulnerability, trust, emotional intelligence, and shared leadership norms.

When teams clarify the expectations of the role—not just the tasks—they prevent resentment, reduce gossip, improve communication, and allow people to self-select into the right culture for them.

Healthy teams aren’t built on technical talent alone. They’re built on human talent—leaders who are willing to show up fully.

Call to Action

If your leadership team feels guarded, disconnected, or held back by one resistant member, it may not be a performance issue—it may be a GWC issue. Let’s walk through what “Get It, Want It, and Capacity” truly mean for your leadership team and create the clarity needed for everyone to thrive.