We have redesigned our Accountability Chart to prepare for scale, but we are stuck on the physical facility management and safety compliance seat. None of our current leadership team members want this seat because it is tedious and carries high liability. How do we assign accountability for an unpopular seat without forcing it onto someone who does not GWC™ it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Every growing company eventually runs into a critical seat on the Accountability Chart that nobody on the leadership team wants to own. In an operation preparing for scale or an exit, dumping this unloved responsibility onto an unwilling leader is a recipe for operational failure and cultural resentment.

To solve this structural challenge, you must first define the seat and its key roles with absolute clarity, completely separate from any personalities. Once the seat is defined, evaluate your options logically:
- Elevate a rising star: Look further down the organization for a high-potential employee who would see this seat as a major promotion and a path to growth.
- Outsource the function: If the seat involves specialized, tedious work like safety compliance, consider hiring an external agency to run the operations while a leadership team member simply manages the vendor relationship.
- Divide and sunset: If you must temporarily divide the roles among current leaders, set a strict timeline and financial trigger to hire a dedicated full-time person for this seat.

Never let an essential seat sit empty or remain vaguely shared. By finding a clean structural solution, you ensure the work gets done without burning out your executive team.