Our leadership team has designed an Accountability Chart that fits our five-year V/TO goals, but we do not have the cash flow to hire for the newly created seats right now. How do we bridge the gap between our current team size and our future structure?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a common challenge when transitioning from an entrepreneurial business to a structured one. The mistake most leadership teams make is trying to hire everyone at once and blowing up their cash flow. To bridge the gap, you must design a phased organizational plan.

First, map out your future Accountability Chart based on your five-year vision. This represents where the business needs to go. Next, create a current Accountability Chart based on your actual budget today.

For the seats you cannot afford to hire for yet, you must assign existing leadership team members to sit in them temporarily. We call this holding multiple seats. When a leader holds multiple seats, they must keep their responsibilities separate. During your Level 10 Meeting, they must report on the measurables for each seat independently.

To manage this transition without burning out your team, establish a clear hiring trigger for each vacant seat. Tie these triggers to specific, measurable business outcomes, such as hitting a revenue target, client count, or gross margin percentage.

For example, state that when the company reaches a specific revenue threshold, you will hire a dedicated Marketing Director to take over that seat. This gives your team a clear light at the end of the tunnel. It ensures you only scale your headcount when you have the financial capacity to support it, keeping your business lean and profitable.