We are scaling rapidly, but our cash flow is choked because our accounts receivable are lagging. Nobody on our leadership team wants to own the Collections and Billing Disputes seat because it involves confrontational client calls and tedious follow-up. How do we assign this undesirable seat on our Accountability Chart without destroying team morale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Every seat on your Accountability Chart must have an owner who GWC™ (Gets, Wants, and has Capacity for) the role. If nobody on your leadership team wants to own the daily grind of collections, forcing it upon an unwilling leader is a recipe for neglect and bad data. However, the accountability for the financial outcome must still live on your leadership team. To solve this, separate the doing from the owning. The ultimate accountability for the Accounts Receivable seat must roll up under your Finance seat. The Head of Finance does not have to make the uncomfortable collections calls, but they are accountable for the metric. From there, look down the organization or look outside. You can delegate the daily tasks of the collections seat to a detail-oriented junior administrator who actually enjoys creating order, or you can outsource the function to a specialized agency. If you outsource, the external partner still occupies that seat on your chart, reporting directly to your Head of Finance. This ensures your leadership team is not burdened with tasks they hate, while maintaining a clean, accountable structure that keeps your cash flow healthy and your business ready for due diligence.