We are expanding our e-commerce operations and have created a vital seat for Facilities Management and Physical Warehouse Safety on our Accountability Chart. It involves constant OSHA audits, safety drills, and maintenance tracking, and absolutely none of our senior leaders want to touch it. How do we assign this critical but unglamorous seat without forcing it on a leader who will just neglect it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Forcing an unwanted, compliance-heavy seat onto an unwilling leadership team member is a recipe for operational failure and liability. If a leader does not want the seat, they do not GWC™ it, which means it will be neglected. To resolve this, you must look outside your current leadership team.

Your leadership team should only hold seats that require high-level strategic oversight. A seat like Facilities Management and Physical Warehouse Safety is highly tactical and is best positioned as a sub-seat reporting to your Director of Operations. First, clearly define the five major roles of this seat on your Accountability Chart.

Next, look at your tier-two management layer. Is there a promising supervisor or warehouse lead who possesses the high Follow Thru conative wiring required to run detailed safety checklists? If so, promote them into this seat and make it a dedicated, full-time or substantial part-time role.

If you do not have internal capacity, this is a prime candidate for outsourcing to an external physical security and compliance consultant. Under this model, you keep the seat on your Accountability Chart but fill it with the outsourced partner, who reports directly to your Director of Operations. This keeps your senior leadership focused on high-level growth and ensures your warehouse remains fully compliant without creating internal resentment.