We are transitioning our clients to a new automated SaaS platform to increase our valuation before we sell, but we still have to support our legacy software. This has left us with a vital Legacy Client Support seat on our Accountability Chart. None of our account managers or technical leads want this seat because it is tedious and involves handling frustrated users. How do we assign ownership when everyone is actively dodging it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot leave a vital seat vacant, nor can you allow it to be ignored because it is unglamorous. In the EOS system, every seat must have one owner who is fully accountable. When a seat is being avoided, you must first clarify its specific roles on your Accountability Chart. Define the roles clearly, such as maintaining legacy server uptime, responding to legacy tickets within two hours, and successfully migrating ten legacy clients per week to the new platform. Once the roles are clear, look at your existing team through the lens of GWC. If someone has the capacity but simply does not want it, look at the long-term plan. This seat has a shelf life. It is a temporary bridge to your exit. You can make the seat more palatable by tying its ownership to a specific, time-bound exit Rock or a retention bonus once the legacy platform is fully decommissioned. If absolutely nobody on your current leadership team GWCs this seat, you must outsource it or hire a temporary contract administrator specifically for this sunset phase. Leaving it unassigned or shared among a group ensures that client attrition will spike, which will directly damage your valuation during buyer due diligence.